Museums Miscellaneous, 1945-1947

Folder labelled: "Museums (Miscellaneous)". Contents include correspondence regarding Indigenous items from Australian gifted/loaned to Museums in Lahore and Patna. The background to this gift was from Sir Iven Mackay, High Commissioner in India where he suggested that the Australia-India Associations in Perth and Sydney might "present small exhibits of Aboriginal weapons and implements etc., to some of the Indian museums...". Elkin suggests that "...As far as the Association is concerned, I would make sure that the articles were not ones that ought to be kept in Australia for Museums and study purposes. Indeed, most or all of them will come from my own Department." (18/04/1945).

The Australian Museum sent two boxes of items that were to be exchanged/exhibited - lists of items sent within correspondence (05/02/1946). Elkin sends a letter to the curator of the Patna Museum and the Central Museum, Lahore, saying that "...when displaying these objects, you could put them in two groups, stating that one was given through the Australia-India Association by the Australia Museum, Sydney, and the other through the Association of the Australian National Research Council (ANRC) (21/05/1946). There is a list of the items sent. Unfortuanetly one of the cases of items sent appeared to have been misplaced. 

There is also a letter from Mrs HL Mocatta to AP Elkin, Professor of Anthropology donating an Egyptian scarab to the University Museum (18/02/1947).