Northern Regional Library - Indigenous Unit

Artefacts
Celebrations
Family Histories
Significant Places
Special Events

Aboriginal Collection

This silky oak tree was carved in 1994, by Lawrence Leslie, a local Aboriginal Sculptor from the Kamilaroi region. Lawrence skillfully carved out this tree with traditional markings of the Kamilaroi people.

This Carved Tree was completed by Lawrence Leslie in July 1994. It was then placed at the entrance of the Northern Regional Library in August 1994. The plaque below has an inscription 'Big River' as the carvings tell Lawrence's story of the Gwydir River.

This is the 'Aboriginal Collection' Area or AC Area of the Northern Regional Library. This area has display cabinets that house artefacts and books. Hundreds of the Aboriginal resources we hold are held in this area.

The Aboriginal 'Dome' was erected in 1998. All of the artwork has been painted by local Aboriginal artists. Locked inside the dome are hundreds of books and a projector system which allows the public to view videos or slide shows from outside.

This cabinet can be found in the AC Area of the library. It is home to hundreds of books that contain information on Aboriginal history, culture, health, language, stolen generation etc.

This display cabinet houses a collection of traditional Gamilaroi artefacts that are on permanent loan from the Australian Museum. To see a clearer picture of each of the artefacts in this display cabinet, go to the Photo Gallery menu and click on Artefacts.

Kamilaroi Artefacts in this display cabinet include; a nulla nulla, message sticks, bull roarer, grinding stones, woomera, coolamon, small stone axe, digging sticks, boomerang and shield.

This display case holds photographs of our 'great heroes', the Aboriginal Ex-Servicemen. They served in World War One or Two.

Noeline Briggs-Smith, Aboriginal Researcher, hard at work in the Indigenous Section staff area.

These compactors contain thousands of Aboriginal genealogies. They are an invaluabe resource tool when searching family history, and are not available at any other location.