From the SMH Citysearch: location: Australian Museum • address: 6 College St Sydney , 2000 • cross street: William St • hours: Aug 14-Nov 28 Daily 9:30am- 5:00pm • prices: General museum admission: $5 adult, $3 concession, $2 child, $12 family Australian Cannibal Boomerang Throwers 1885 Captive Lives: Looking for Tambo and His Companions This is the shocking story, painstakingly researched and curated, of the abduction of nine Aboriginal people from North Queensland in 1883, and eight more in 1892. They were taken by an American showman, for display in Barnum and Bailey's Circus. They were subjected to a relentless tour as sideshow curiosities, and then used for anthropological studies. Tambo (a name invented for his circus career) was the first to die - only two of the 17 taken are known to have returned home. In 1993, the mummified remains of Tambo were found in a funeral home in Cleveland, Ohio. He was identified, and eventually brought back to his own land and laid to rest. Tambo may have travelled further than usual in his time with the circus, but his experience reflects that of many Aboriginal people who were removed and separated form their families and homes by Australian government policies. The prejudice and disregard shown by Barnum and Bailey toward indigenous people were not merely circus attitudes, but the general relationship between indigenous groups and colonial powers. Using the resources of archives, libraries, museums and supported by Aboriginal communities in northern Queensland, the exhibition reveals not only the tragic fate of Tambo and his companions, but also how indigenous people were subjected to stereotyping, exploitation and dislocation, the effects of which are still evident today. The return of Tambo to Palm Island, his native home, was a symbolic moment in the current process of reconciliation in Australia. This exhibition is a powerful reflection on both the past and the present. Jacqui Taffel ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/
