Indigenous Foods, Poisons and Natural Cures

The item is comprised of 4 bundles (177pp) of typescript & handwritten research notes, articles and correspondence dealing with Aboriginal foods, poisons, and natural cures, predominantly in Australia but also in Papua New Guinea and Melanesia.

Army Medical Service authorities sought assistance from the Australian National Research Council (ANRC) to collect information available in regard to sources of water, food plants, poisons and native treatments. Elkin, the Chairman of the Anthropology Section of the ANRC, contacts a range of organisations and individuals to compile the necessary resources. The organisations and individuals include: Department of Botany, University of Sydney; The Pacific Territories Association; [Queensland] Department of Health; Department of Botany, University of Queensland; Ursula McConnel; Department of Native Affairs, Alice Springs; Mulla Boola Government Station via Hall's Creek, Kimberley Division, WA; Dr Walker, Anthropological Society of South Australia; Anthropological Society of Victoria; Geological Adviser to the Commonwealth of Australia; academics from universities across Australia; Department of Home Security; Australian Military Forces; Geological Adviser to the Commonwealth of Australia; and other individuals.

Includes: list of plant names in Ungarinyin; 'Water Places North of Broome' by Ernest Worms; 'Notes on Native Food Plants etc' by WE Harney; 'Emergency Plant Foods of Australian Aborigines'; and 'Bibliography of Food Plants of Australian Aborigines' by Dr FR Irvine.

The content has relevance to all Language Groups, especially Ungarinyin, Nyulnyul, Bardi.

Broad range of places is mentioned including Dampier Land, Beagle Bay Mission, La Grange, Broome, Kimberley, Melville and Bathurst Islands, Roper River, Queensland, Alice Springs.