We care for a growing collection of over 1 million items including language, sound, photos, video and books, all dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories.
Search Collections to find:
- books, serials and manuscripts
- photographic and audio visual materials
- artworks and objects
- information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages
- family history resources
Learn more about using the collection.
Conditions of use - important sensitivity information
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that the AIATSIS catalogues may contain names, images and voices of deceased people.
It is a condition of use of the catalogue that you ensure that any disclosure of the information contained in it is consistent with the views and sensitivities of relevant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Considerations include:
Language
Please be aware that there may be words, descriptions, names, sounds, images, videos and audio recordings which may be culturally sensitive and which might not normally be used in certain public or community contexts. Terms and annotations which reflect the author's attitude or that of the period in which the item was written may not be considered appropriate today. These views are not necessarily the views of AIATSIS. While the information may not reflect current understandings, it is provided in an historical context
Deceased persons
Seeing images of deceased persons in photographs, film and books or hearing them in recordings may cause sadness or distress and offend against strongly held cultural prohibitions in some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Access conditions
Collection items discovered through this catalogue may be subject to access conditions imposed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families or communities. Some of the items in our collection are not owned by AIATSIS, but have been deposited with us for preservation and safe-keeping. In cases where AIATSIS does not own collection items, depositors may also impose terms and conditions which we are required to maintain. This may affect your access to certain collection materials.
Further reading
- Tutorials on how to use Mura®
- Pathways thesaurus, which contains culturally appropriate terms to describe materials with Indigenous content.
- The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Biographical Index
- AUSTLANG, information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages
- Art and Object Collection