Explore Magazine – Autumn 2019

Explore Members

Autumn 2019

Inside Capturing Nature Whales | TohorÄ final weeks

Australian Museum magazine

Explore ISSN 1833-752X Autumn 2019

Explore, the news and events magazine of the Australian Museum and Australian Museum Members, is published biannually.

Copyright Unless otherwise credited, all text and images appearing in Explore magazine are copyright © Australian Museum, 2019. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, you may not reproduce or copy any part of this publication without the written permission of the Australian Museum. Please contact the editor for further information.

Views expressed are not necessarily those of the Museum.

Editor Alice Gage Design Sam Wilson Production Jenny Hooker Prepress Spitting Image Sydney Printing Green & Gold printing We welcome your feedback, comments and enquiries.

Email the editor at alice.gage@austmus.gov.au Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Open daily 9.30am-5pm T 02 9320 6000 (switch) T 02 9320 6225 (Members) Australian Museum Trust President David Armstrong Director & CEO Kim McKay AO Environmental responsibility Explore is printed on Revive, a 100% recycled paper. australianmuseum.net.au

Cover image: Slater Moore Photography. Instagram: @Slatermoorephotography Right: Detail of the handmade replica of the feathered cape presented to Captain James Cook by Chief Kalaniopu’u of Hawaii in 1778.

Created by Rick Makanaaloha Kia’imeaokekanaka San Nicolas and presented to the Museum in June 2018

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Contents 04

What’s on

05

From the Director & CEO

06

Museum News

10

Project Discover

13

New acquisition

14

The evolution of giants

16

Arabian nights

Creating a world-class museum

Balun Gilamahla (The River Journey)

What we can learn from ancient whale fossils

An expedition to uncover the treasures of Oman’s depths

20

By the book

22

Capturing Nature

31

New acquisition

32

Making a mark

35

New acquisition

38

Confronting the history of the collection

The pioneering art and science of museum photography

A rare crocoite gemstone

The emergence of tattooing in the Pacific

The beetle everyone thought was extinct

Around the Museum EXPLORE Autumn 2019 | 3

What’s on Exhibitions

Whales | Tohorā

Capturing Nature

Don’t miss one of the most extensive collections of whale skeletons ever displayed.

A never-before-seen collection of some of Australia’s earliest natural history photographs, 1857–1893.

Until 28 April

Until 21 July

First Nations Playgroups

May

Hands-on activities for under 5s led by the First Nations team.

Winhangadurinya: Aboriginal meditation

2019 Lunchtime Conversation Series: Thomas Keneally AO

Fridays, 9.45am & 11am

Take time out from our hectic world with Aboriginal cultural practitioners as your guides.

Special events

waranara tours An immersive one-hour guided tour of the First Australians Galleries.

Saturdays, 11.30am & 1pm

March Aboriginal weaving workshop: Dilly bag-making Learn how to weave a dilly bag using local First Nations knowledge.

30 March, 10am

April Paikea Ariki Moana: Examining cultural connections Artist Derek Lardelli on the legacy of Tairāwhiti and the link to contemporary practices.

9 April, 6pm Dinosnore Snooze at the feet of a T. rex! An unforgettable night at the Museum.

12–13 April, 6pm–8am

4 & 5 May, 10.30am & 2pm

Night talk: Museums and climate change Miranda Massie (Climate Museum, NYC) discusses the central role museums can play in the response to climate crisis.

6 May, 6pm

HumanNature series: Environmental justice and the power of the Pacific word Craig Santos Perez (University of Hawai’i) on the role of literature in Pacific environmental movements.

14 May, 6pm

Night talk: Beautiful, haunting and sometimes strange Curator Vanessa Finney and photographers respond to Capturing Nature. In collaboration with Head On Photo Festival.

Prolific author and self-described `lefty troublemaker’ Tom Keneally launches the 2019 Lunchtime Conversation Series (see website for more details).

21 May, 12.30pm

Artist masterclass: Hand-coloured photography with Anne Zahalka Learn the much-loved antiquated photographic technique of handcolouring.

25 May, 2pm

June Dinosnore Snooze at the feet of a T. rex! An unforgettable night at the Museum.

7–8 June, 6pm–8am

Aboriginal weaving workshop: Dilly bag-making Learn how to weave a dilly bag using local First Nations knowledge.

15 June, 10am

School holiday program

15 May, 6pm

Still life and death photography workshop

Splash into craft activities, film-making workshops, yoga and science inspired by Whales | Tohorā!

Still life and death photography workshop

Inspired by Capturing Nature, expand on your still life shooting, printing and archiving skills.

13–28 April, various

HumanNature series: Is green the new white?

Lesley Green (University of Cape Town) discusses environmentalism and social justice in South Africa.

30 April, 6pm

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Inspired by Capturing Nature, expand on your still life shooting, printing and archiving skills.

18 May, 2pm

15 June, 2pm

HumanNature series: The occupied forest Macarena Gómez-Barris (Pratt Institute, NY) considers the historical, indigenous and regenerative narratives of the forest.

25 June, 6pm

From the Director & CEO Kim McKay AO welcomes a new year of positive change Climate change and its impacts are among the

to further research and create awareness of our

biggest threats to our future. The need for greater

changing climate. In our summer blockbuster

awareness and positive action by the community

exhibition, Whales | Tohorā, we continue our

has never been more urgent. At the 2019 World

commitment to the environment, partnering with

Economic Forum, world-renowned naturalist and

WWF to ask all visitors to reduce their plastics

broadcaster Sir David Attenborough called for a

consumption. With Whales now in its last weeks,

global plan to tackle climate change, saying, “the

don’t miss what The Sydney Morning Herald

Garden of Eden is no more”.

described as “the most visually exciting exhibition

“Right now, we are facing a man-made disaster of a global scale,” the 92-year-old Attenborough said.

“What we do now and in the next few years will profoundly affect the next few thousand years.”

In Australia, we are already seeing the impacts of

on whales ever seen in this country”.

AM scientists have always been at the forefront of innovation and technology, since the Museum’s very early years. In our latest exhibition, Capturing Nature, we reveal for the first time some of

climate change on our Pacific neighbours and even

Australia’s earliest natural history photographs,

on our own biodiversity. Yet for many of us these

taken by pioneering curator Gerard Krefft and

impacts seem far removed from our everyday lives.

taxidermist Henry Barnes. It’s a stunning exhibition

Natural history museums are among the most

with an accompanying book by archivist Vanessa

trusted scientific institutions in the world and

Finney. A must-see for history and photography buffs.

we have a responsibility to encourage positive

2019 is a defining year for the AM with work about

action. In January I was pleased to announce the

to commence on Project Discover, the $57.5 million

AM is increasing its commitment to research along

refurbishment project to increase public floor

with raising awareness around climate change,

space, improve visitor experience and create new

and the appointment of internationally acclaimed

education and Member facilities so more visitors

scientist, author and leading voice on climate

can engage with the world of science, natural

change Professor Tim Flannery as a Distinguished

history and culture in a better way.

Visiting Fellow. In this important new role, Professor

We’ll keep you updated on progress via the AM’s

Flannery – the 2007 Australian of the Year – will

new website and I look forward to welcoming you

work with the AM’s East Pacific Collection Manager

back to the Australian Museum soon.

Dr Jenny Newell, AMRI scientists and educators EXPLORE Autumn 2019 | 5

Welcome to our new trustees

News

The Australian Museum is pleased to welcome two new trustees to the board for three-

Leaps and bounds for FrogID The Australian Museum’s “Shazam for frogs” – the flagship citizen science initiative FrogID – recently surpassed 87,000 verified records since its launch in November 2017. With more than 20,000 people now registered and 186 of 240 known species recorded, FrogID is making giant leaps in understanding Australian frogs.

The nation’s croakers came out in chorus over summer as the wet season – bringing ideal breeding conditions – rolled through the northern half of the continent.

Contributor Justin McMahon recorded two FrogID firsts in the Wet Tropics of Queensland: the calls of the Mountain–Top Nursery Frog and the Beautiful Nursery Frog – two species endemic to that region.

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year terms. Maile Carnegie Closer to home here in Sydney, the three most popular calls were the “creak” of the Common Eastern Froglet, the “pock” of the Striped Marsh Frog or the “cackle” of the Peron’s Tree Frog, all species that have successfully adapted to the urban environment.

This year Bunnings is hopping on board for the National Frog Pond Building Project – an initiative that is helping schools build frog habitats and monitor their inhabitants once they’re croaking.

brings insights from her current

To get involved, download the FrogID app, contact your local Bunnings store or visit FrogID.net.au for more info.

Buildcorp, one of the nation’s

Below: Frog ID’s Dr Jodi Rowley with Bunnings staff launch the frog pond partnership at Camdenville Public School in Newtown.

Photo by Nick Langley

board has been continued for

role as Group Executive, Digital Banking at ANZ Banking Group, and from former roles at Google (Australia and New Zealand) and Proctor & Gamble.

Josephine Sukkar AM is a professional company director with governance and executive experience across a range of industries including property, finance, sport, the arts, medical research and social services. She is a co-founder of premier building companies.

Current trustee Dr Elie Hammam’s appointment on the another three-year term.

Stepping up to climate change

Scott sisters collection added to the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register In 1992, UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme was launched in an effort to safeguard the documentary heritage of humanity “against collective amnesia, neglect, the ravages of time and climatic conditions, and wilful and deliberate destruction”. These items can be a single document, a collection, a holding or an archival fonds that is deemed to be of such significance as to transcend the boundaries of time and culture.

Established in 2000, the Australian chapter of the Memory of the World Programme now contains 57 historical items in its register, including the Endeavour journal of James Cook, the Mabo case manuscripts, Australia’s first narrative film, The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906), and the 1891 and 1894 women’s suffrage petitions. Joining these priceless items in 2019 is the Australian Museum’s remarkable Scott sisters Lepidoptera collection of notebooks, manuscripts, sketches and finely detailed watercolour paintings of Australian moths and butterflies. The collection is one of the most comprehensive Australian 19th-century natural science and natural history art archives in the country, and the illustrations are still being used by scientists today.

Archivist Vanessa Finney explains, “There is no other scientific archive in Australia like it. It is unique for its combination of documentation of natural history practice, scientifically useful biological content, completeness, beauty, artistic ambition and innovation in natural history art, and for its documentation of two women’s sustained efforts to be recognised as legitimate contributors to Australia’s natural sciences.”

Also being added is Australia’s first ever Census (1828) from the State Archives of New South Wales, and Ethel Turner’s handwritten Seven Little Australians manuscript (1893) from the State Library of New South Wales.

With its world-class research station at Lizard Island on the on the Great Barrier Reef, its collection of more than 21 million objects, its onsite research institute and its deep connections with Pacific Island communities, the Australian Museum holds a unique place at the front line of climate change. In 2019 the Museum will be stepping up its efforts to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change in our region.

Professor Tim Flannery – 2007 Australian of the Year, scientist and conservationist – has been appointed a Distinguished Visiting Fellow to the AM. Previously Head of Mammalian Biology (1984-1999), he rejoins the Museum to heighten awareness on climate change issues facing Australia and the Pacific. Education and public programs will also be broadened, online resources developed and the Museum’s own carbon footprint and waste reduced (including the banning of plastic straws, bottles and cutlery across Museum cafés).

Real-world strategies to combat the human and environmental damage wrought by climate change have never been more important. The Australian Museum is proud to be taking a leadership role in positive action for a better future.

dry Herpetology specimens currently being rehoused

Upper left: (Detail) Lily Caterpillar

by Harriet Scott, 1864 Above: Dr Tim Flannery and Kim McKay. Photo by Abram Powell

EXPLORE Autumn 2019 | 7

Rescuing Canowindra’s buried treasure

Above right: The Canowindra fossil fish fauna is upper Devonian in age (about 370–360 million years old), and is dominated by two species of placoderms (armoured fishes): Bothriolepis yeungae and Remigolepis walker, with more than 1500 specimens of each species discovered to date Below: The Canowindra Council yard with the fish slabs displayed, July 1993. Photo by Alex Ritchie

About 370 million years ago, in the Devonian Period, otherwise known as the Age of Fishes, the climate was hot and dry. Three hundred kilometres west of the place now known as Sydney, in the region now known as Canowindra, a severe drought was underway.

A freshwater pool teaming with fishes rapidly evaporated, killing thousands. They were quickly buried by sediment, which then became rock, preserving the creatures for posterity.

They remained there until 1955, when a council worker came across a slab with strange impressions on its underside.

A keen-eyed local notified the Australian Museum, and an examination confirmed the remarkable discovery.

In 1993, after a 20-year search, Australian Museum palaeontologist Alex Ritchie rediscovered the site of the 1955 find. The major excavation that followed retrieved some 75 tonnes of slabs containing around 4000 fish specimens – many complete and new to science. Amazingly, there were also species that closely resemble the precursors to the first creatures to crawl out of the water onto the land – the tetrapods – our earliest ancestors.

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In 2014, Sir David Attenborough viewed the fossils. “Most Devonian fish sites I know, you come across disarticulated bits of skeleton, or one here and one there. What you have here is dozens piled on top of each other… it is a world-class find,” he said.

The size and weight of the slabs present challenges with storage and display.

The collection, owned by the Australian Museum, is split between the Australian Age of Fishes Museum in Canowindra and the local showgrounds, where most of the slabs are stored in less than ideal conditions.

That is, until now. Over two weeks in May, Australian Museum paleontologists will be in Canowindra cleaning the slabs, transporting them to a brand-new storage facility and preparing 3D scans for research.

Palaeontologist Matt McCurry is thrilled to be finally securing the future of the internationally significant fossils that tell the story of the beginning of life on land.

Your last chance to see the AM’s summer blockbuster, Whales | Tohorā.

Must close 28 April!

Developed by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

This exhibition was made possible through the support of the New Zealand Government.

EXPLORE Autumn 2019 | 9

The future of the AM

Project Discover The AM is creating a renewed museum to match its world-class collection, writes Alice Gage Since the day it opened to the public in May 1857, the Australian Museum has held the imagination of Sydneysiders. In her companion book to the exhibition Capturing Nature, archivist Vanessa Finney writes, “In the opening week an astonishing 10,000 people (at a time when Sydney’s total population was just 40,000) came to view the crowded collections.” Much has changed in those 160-odd years, but the Museum, the wonder of its collections and architectural grandeur, has remained a constant.

This year, the Australian Museum’s place at the cultural and scientific heart of the city will be greatly enhanced as Project Discover kicks off. With a budget of $57.5 million, including $50.5 million from the NSW Government and $7 million to be raised, Project Discover will facilitate the first stage of the Museum’s evolution and significantly expand its role as a world-class educational and cultural facility, providing additional exhibition and public spaces, and boosting visitor experience.

Cox Architects alongside the firm behind the award-winning Crystal Hall, Neeson Murcutt, are leading the design, which will be completed in time to deliver the global blockbuster exhibition, Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh in early 2021 – the most significant collection of artefacts ever to leave Egypt.

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Why is Project Discover necessary?

The Australian Museum currently has the smallest public floor space of any major museum in the country. As a comparison, its 6500m2 is but a fraction of Melbourne Museum’s 40,000m2.

Furthermore, the AM’s collection is the largest in the southern hemisphere, comprising some 21 million objects and specimens valued at almost $1 billion, yet less than 1% of it is on display.

Project Discover will expand the AM’s public floor space by repurposing existing storage areas.

This will enable the AM to showcase more of its priceless collection while attracting world-class touring exhibitions.

A new experience The improved and expanded Australian Museum will sit among the best museums in the region, ensuring the most outstanding experiences are presented at the AM, allowing it to remain relevant far into the future.

The entrance to the Museum and the expansion

wonderful new ‘civic’ space at the centre

of its ‘heart’ is a major focus of architect Rachel

of the Museum, defined by gracious heritage

Neeson. Crystal Hall will be opened up and a new

stone walls.”

stairwell incorporated in the design. The Atrium will be opened up by the removal of the mezzanine currently above the shop, and the whole floor raised to be on the same level as Wild Planet and the First Australians Galleries. The overall effect will be a grand entry straight into the Museum. Gone will be the labyrinthine walkways.

“In museum design we talk about something called the heart, which is the central, orientating space,” says Neeson.

A new blockbuster exhibition space will run across two storeys and 1500m2. As well as providing the required area to host major international exhibitions such as Tutankhamun, it will also allow greater flexibility – such as the ability to hold two exhibitions at once. The Museum – and Sydney – will be the destination of choice for major international touring exhibitions.

Education is a special focus of the development.

A dedicated entrance for school groups will be

“The heart of the Australian Museum is the

built off William Street, including parking bays for

Atrium. Currently there is quite an indirect and

buses. Students will be greeted in a purpose-built

congested passage from Crystal Hall around the

orientation space and continue their journey in

shop to get to the heart. We are changing this

expanded workshop rooms. Project Discover will

so that visitors will be able to see directly into

enable the Australian Museum to double visitation

the heart from Crystal Hall. The heart will be a

of students around the state.

EXPLORE Autumn 2019 | 11

The Members’ Lounge will also be refurbished

One of the benefits of the new facility is to

and replaced with a state-of-the-art facility for

improve access for Pacific community groups in a

Members and their families to take time out and

way not possible at the William Street site.

enjoy refreshments.

Regional outreach The Albert Chapman Minerals Collection has a new temporary home at the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum, Bathurst, which houses the Warren Somerville Collection of 3500 minerals and fossils. When exhibited together, the collections will become the most significant display of minerals in Australia, and a powerful driver for tourism to the region.

The 550 extraordinary specimens will open there in June and remain on display for 18 months. The

Pacific Collection Manager Michael Mel says, “The need for a larger presence for the Pacific communities here is very important. The establishment of access to cultural material and flexible meeting space that can cater for exhibitions, performances and presentations will definitely be a plus for our Pacific communities here in New South Wales.”

The Pacific Spirit exhibition on Level 2 will remain open throughout the building works. A new Pacific Spirit gallery – three times the size of the current space – will open to the public in 2023.

renovation will be completed by the end of 2020 and

Just the beginning

the Chapman Collection and Minerals Exhibition will

Project Discover is just the first step in the future

return to the AM in 2021.

realisation of the Australian Museum’s masterplan.

The Pacific Collection The Australian Museum is custodian to a worldrenowned Pacific Collection containing 40,000 significant objects from across Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. The safe relocation of the collection to a new, renovated facility in the centre of the Greater Sydney area was a significant task when it commenced in December last year.

Kim McKay says, “We have a bold vision for the AM; Project Discover is just the beginning. Once this initial redevelopment is completed, we will not only be able to accommodate world-class exhibitions, we will be on track to create a world-class museum with the best possible opportunities for our scientists, our visitors and the community. It’s an incredibly exciting time for the future of the AM.”

However, the move is on track to be completed in June. Staff work spaces and community meeting

We invite Members to stay informed about Project

rooms will provide superior access to the collection

Discover by checking Members emails and updates

for community groups and researchers.

on the website

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New acquisition

The Northern Rivers region of New South Wales is home to many Aboriginal weaving groups dedicated to reviving techniques, and re-establishing and incorporating local grasses and reeds. Balun Gilamahla (The River Journey) was the outcome of an initiative by Arts Northern Rivers, which brought together a group of weavers living on Bundjalung Country and Quandamooka Country (Stradbroke Island) to devise and collaborate on this exceptional installation of 17 components.

Balun Gilamahla explores the connection of the rivers and sea in the region and how they speak to the Three Brothers Dreaming from a woman’s perspective. The canoes are overflowing with women’s gathering tools, food, turtles and fish. The intricate work presents insight into different techniques and materials, some of which have been used by practitioners of the Bundjalung Nation and Quandamooka Country for generations.

The acquisition aligns with the Australian Museum’s objective to build relationships with local, regional and remote communities, and expand the collection of contemporary NSW artworks and cultural objects. The existing collection from NSW is smaller and less diverse than those from northern Australia, where early “expeditions” in pursuit of exotica and scientific research were more frequent, inevitably becoming the focus of many state and international museums.

Balun Gilamahla Sharni Jones Manager, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Collection

Contemporary acquisitions enhance audience engagement and create new opportunities for regional Aboriginal practitioners. The passage of language, cultural revival and intergenerational cultural transmission are also supported by this process. In discussion with Arts Northern Rivers, the AM negotiated the appropriate terms of the work, respecting the cultural integrity and intellectual knowledge of the weavers.

This acquisition was made possible through a grant from the Patricia Porritt Acquisition Fund through the Australian Museum Foundation.

Image: Balun Gilamahla by Aunty Teresa Bolt, Kylie Caldwell, Sonja Carmichael, Robin Davis, Aunty Janelle Duncan, Penny Evans, Tania Marlowe, Benedicta Radic, Aunty Margaret Torrens and Leah Walke, reeds, grasses, hemp string, flower stalks, wire, bark, raffia, found nylon nets and ropes and other materials, 2.1m x 2.4m, Northern Rivers, NSW, 2017. Acquired 2018

EXPLORE Autumn 2019 | 13

Exhibition

The evolution of giants

Right: AM Curator of Palaeontology Dr Matt McCurry displays a juvenile baleen specimen.

Photo by Abram Powell

Ancient whale fossils are causing scientists to reimagine the distant past, writes Ailie MacKenzie The extraordinary strategy of filter-feeding has enabled baleen whales to become the largest animals on the planet, with the 30m Blue Whale floating at the top of the charts. Unseen in any other mammal, the origins of baleen – a hairlike material in the mouth used to strain small prey from the water – has remained a mystery to science since the time of Darwin. However, this is finally beginning to change.

“This is a really exciting time to be studying whales,” says Dr Matthew McCurry, Curator of Palaeontology at the Australian Museum. “There have been some incredible developments over the past year or so.”

Walking through the Australian Museum’s Whales | Tohorā exhibition, visitors can see close-up the remarkable structure of this filter-feeding system.

The keratin “hairs” on the baleen plates work to sieve fish and krill from the water, leaving the excess water to wash back out of their mouths. Amazingly, this method allows some baleen whales to eat up to one tonne of prey per day, resulting in their colossal size and longstanding success.

What have scientists believed up until this point?

There are three prominent theories of baleen evolution. The first, known as the “dental-filtration hypothesis”, suggests that the ancestors of baleen whales used their teeth (now lost in modern species) to filter prey from the water.

The second implies a period in which these whales bore both teeth and baleen at the same time.

The third theory proposes that the whales may have lost their teeth completely as a result of suction-feeding before developing baleen.

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Controversial new evidence A recent spate of fossil whale discoveries has forced the world’s experts to reimagine the distant past of these marine giants.

The dental-filtration hypothesis was challenged when a 30-million-year-old baleen whale ancestor named Coronodon havensteini was re-examined using modern statistical tests. While Coronodon probably did not have baleen, the patterns of wear on its teeth resemble erosion from flushing water through filter-feeding “slots”. Some scientists therefore deduced that the creature used its teeth to filter food from seawater, as well as to bite and catch prey. However, others maintain that the wear patterns are too dissimilar to modern tooth filterfeeding pinnipeds, such as leopard seals. Further studies also found that Coronodon likely fed on prey that was too large to filter through their teeth. In the case of this species, the evidence seems to point more to the third hypothesis of suction-feeding.

A similar conclusion is being reached for Llanocetus denticrenatus, a huge, toothed baleen whale nearly as old as Coronodon. While its tooth structure might have allowed filter-feeding, the large gaps between its teeth lack a comb fine enough to trap prey this way. The gaps probably evolved as an adaptation to suction-feeding. Though similar gaps in other species may have been filled with baleen, as per the second hypothesis, any baleen in Llanocetus would have been crushed by the teeth.

The missing link between these suction-feeders and modern baleen whales may have been found in the newly described Maiabalaena nesbittae, which thrived in the waters around Oregon, USA, about 33 million years ago. Maiabalaena shows no sign of

teeth or baleen, presenting strong evidence for the third theory: that tooth loss occurred before baleen evolved.

Though the evidence is controversial, it seems that the third hypothesis may be the most accurate, and that the suction-feeding strategy of early baleen whales caused complete tooth loss and cleared the way for baleen to evolve.

The biomechanics of whale feeding Dr Matthew McCurry intends to incorporate these new findings into biomechanical analyses of how

these animals feed. “We are currently examining how well these different species of fossil whale are able to bite prey or filter-feed. This analysis should add to the debate about how and when whales started filter-feeding.”

While debate over the evolutionary path of baleen still exists within the palaeontological community, one thing is certain – our knowledge of the sea is ever-changing, and our discoveries are constantly leaping forward.

Whales | Tohorā closes 28 April EXPLORE Autumn 2019 | 15

Expedition

Arabian nights New DNA technologies are helping reveal the mysteries of Oman’s coastline, discovers Curator of Ichthyology Dr Joseph DiBattista It’s probably not what first comes to mind when you imagine a science field trip: a four-wheel drive racing across the desert at dawn, the parched soil painted with the long shadows of frankincense trees. To the west, rocky plains bound by towering hills level off to a protracted escarpment. To the east, shifting sand dunes spill into the emerald void of the Arabian Sea. We overtake herds of goats and camels ambling across the undulating terrain, as if by instinct pushing towards the next wadi. These ephemeral river beds – full only after heavy rains – punctuate one of the most dynamic ecosystems in the Middle East. Here in Oman, life waxes and wanes at the whim of the seasons and the winds of the Indian Ocean.

It was here that myself and Amanda Hay from the Australian Museum’s Ichthyology team ventured in November, with collaborators from Sultan Qaboos University in Oman and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

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We would be diving into Oman’s coastal waters, using genetics to identify fish populations and monitor marine resources.

New in our arsenal of research tools was environmental DNA, or eDNA. Basically, it works like this: when fish swim through the water, they shed tissue, cells, secretions and excreta. By analysing the DNA present in the water, we can see which species have passed through it. This emerging technology provided a fast and inexpensive way to census the fishes along the dynamic Omani coastline, as well as all the other organisms that they intimately depend on – crabs, corals, sponges, and algae. In addition to saving time and money, we were grateful for being saved the torment of entering rough waters or encountering lurking sharks.

The first half of our trip focused on the Dhofar coast on the southern side of Oman, a part of the country directly exposed to a weather phenomenon,

known locally as the Khareef, from June to September. With the monsoon winds come rolling banks of fog, intermittent rain and the formation of streams and waterfalls, turning a seemingly dead woodland into a misty green oasis in a matter of days.

To the ocean, the Khareef brings sustained 30-knot winds, strong currents, raging seas, a drastic drop in sea surface temperature, and a nutrient upwelling that feeds arguably one of the most productive fisheries in the world.

Amanda and I spent the first five days of our trip Scuba diving on reef sites close to the cities of Salalah and Mirbat, collecting fish specimens and seawater samples with a particular focus on “cryptobenthic” fishes – tiny, well-camouflaged fish that hide in the nooks and crannies of coral and rocky reefs – such as gobies, blennies and frogfishes. These fishes are often under-represented in museums and embody a veritable gold mine for eager taxonomists.

EXPLORE Autumn 2019 | 17

At each dive site we collected eight litres of seawater, which we filtered post-haste in order to isolate the free-floating environmental DNA suspended within its liquid matrix.

Collection of the small and cryptic was supplemented by collection of the large and tasty with visits to local fish markets. As we became familiar to the vendors, freebies thrown our way went on to make rare and valuable museum specimens.

With the arrival of a few key team members from Curtin University and the University of New England, the second half of our trip focused on the oft-overlooked Musandam Peninsula in the north.

This region bookends the Sea of Oman and stares directly across the Strait of Hormuz to the Islamic Republic of Iran. We were treated to daily drives from the principal town of Khasab, over a 1200m-high mountain pass and down a treacherous unpaved road to the water. If you blinked twice, you might have thought you had crash-landed on the coast of Norway. It was surrounded by ashen mountains spreading out like fingers to form fjord-like inlets, with a few splashes of colour from the tiny fishing townships, accessible only by boat.

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“As we became familiar to fish market vendors, freebies thrown our way went on to make rare and valuable museum specimens.”

Long days collecting samples at sea were followed by late nights painstakingly sorting, identifying, and recording information from the catch of the day.

Previous page top: Heading toward an isolated sampling site near Fazayat Beach in the souther Dhofar region of Oman.

Photo © Tane Sinclair-Taylor Previous page lower: Dr Joseph DiBattista filters seawater in Oman to isolate the DNA that a number of fish species leave behind; a technique known as eDNA. Photo © Tane Sinclair-Taylor Opposite page top: Field work is often challenging, particularly when the bridge to your sampling site no longer exists. Photo by Joseph DiBattista Opposite page lower: Dr Joseph DiBattista collects sediment from a shallow coral reef in Mirbat, Oman for an eDNA study. Photo © Tane Sinclair-Taylor This page top: The AM Ichthyology field team and collaborators from SQU, UNE, Curtin University and KAUST sort through potential fish specimens at a local fish market in Khasab, Oman.

Photo by Dr Maarten De Brauwer This page lower: A pair of Dhofari camels with their young. Photo © Tane Sinclair-Taylor

Now ensconced back at the Museum, we are following up with curating the fish specimens, enlisting the help of national and international taxonomic specialists to identify particularly pesky species, and sequencing DNA from the tissues to add to the growing AM reference library. With the millions of DNA sequences generated from the eDNA isolated in the seawater samples, we can begin to put together the pieces

of the genetic puzzle. As always with field trips, the important science is punctuated with Mother Nature’s marvels, enchanting experiences, and lasting partnerships. Fortunately for us, Oman has it all. We would do it all over again without a moment’s hesitation.

This research project “Bridging the gap between marine resource managers and research institutions” received grant funding from the Council for Australian-Arab Relations of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This formed part of collaboration between the Ichthyology and Genetic Section at the Australian Museum, Assistant Professor Alyssa Marshell at Sultan Qaboos University, and the TrEnD Lab at Curtin University. The field work took place in November and December 2018.

Aborigines Claim Citizen Rights!: A Statement of the Case for the Aborigines Progressive Association,

by JT Patten and W Ferguson, 1938. Acquired 1982

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The collection

By the book Adria Castellucci and the Australian Museum Research Library team confront the history of the collection It is an entrenched misconception that libraries are value-neutral – that they have no agenda and are free of moral judgements. Many Australian and international libraries have begun to acknowledge that this is simply not true. Well into the 20th century, libraries actively sought to control information and reinforce ideologies.

are snippets to be found in language lists, illustrations

This can be seen not only in the content of the books and journals in library collections, but also in the way they are organised and used. Unlike many public and academic libraries that periodically weed out obsolete publications, the Australian Museum Research Library has kept most items accepted into the collection over its 183-year history, providing a snapshot of the way the library and the Museum supported and challenged prevailing societal viewpoints.

second, Aborigines Claim Citizen Rights! A Statement of

In the Dharawal language, baya-ngara means “read/speak knowledge”. In consultation with First Nations staff, it’s the name we chose for a major project in the Australian Museum library last year.

Working with First Nations staff member Nathan Sentence, the Library team aimed to uncover publications containing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural material and make them more accessible for communities and the public. But first, the collection’s legacy needed to be confronted.

Unsurprisingly, much of the library’s 18th, 19th and early 20th-century material reflects attitudes typical of the period. Many authors of colonialera publications used racist language to describe Aboriginal people, or circulated misinformation designed to discredit them and rob them of their humanity. Even sympathetic authors described First Nations people in terms that reflected white paternalism. The Australian Museum’s own early publications were not exempt from these attitudes.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and cultures were othered, collected, and classified.

There are very few Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in the library’s early collections, although there

and chronicles of science expeditions.

However, the team discovered some unexpected publications that were remarkable for the era. The first, Native Legends (1929) by Ngarrindjeri inventor, lecturer and author David Unaipon, is considered the first published book by an Aboriginal author. The the Case for the Aborigines Progressive Association, is a pamphlet written by JT Patten and William Ferguson for the 1938 Day of Mourning. In both items, the act of baya-ngara resonates loudly: Unaipon communicates his ancestral knowledge, culture and philosophy, and Patten and Ferguson advocate for political independence and autonomy. More First Nations voices emerged in the collection after the 1950s as the Museum began to work with communities and support cultural repatriation as part of the Aboriginal civil rights and self-determination movements.

The next step in the project was to create new avenues of accessibility. At one level, this meant changing the way cultural material is described in catalogues. For example, racist and offensive content has been removed from the public catalogue.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language and group information has been added to make family and place-based resources easier to find. Research topic guides have been created to help people begin their search for cultural material. New cultural protocols built on Indigenous perspectives are in development.

To take this transformative work further, the library is actively supporting access and use of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander material through events led

by First Nations people, including programs that give Indigenous artists and creators such as current NSW Aboriginal Arts Fellowship recipient Travis De Vries the opportunity to safely reframe, reclaim and reimagine their cultural information within the collection.

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Exhibition

When photography came to the Museum Curator Vanessa Finney describes how Capturing Nature, a new exhibition and companion book, reveals the pioneering art and science of photography at the Australian Museum

Left: This is thought to be the original photograph of the first cassowary in the Museum’s collection. The bird was acquired from G Randall Johnson, who collected it near Rockingham Bay, Far North Queensland, in 1866. For a time, it was believed to be a species distinct from the Casuarius australis shot and named in 1854 by naturalist Thomas Wall (who had perished before he could transport the skin). The new specimen was named Casuarius johnsonii, and curator Gerard Krefft was excited to report that: “The bird will be set up at once, and I hope to find a corner for it in our now overcrowded Museum”.

It was later judged to be the same species as Wall’s earlier bird, now known as the Southern Cassowary, Casuarius casuarius.

Photo by Henry Barnes

The invention of photography in the 19th century was an international sensation.

Announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in 1839, the new technology had the miraculous ability to capture light on glass and to provide, for the first time, an unmediated, mechanical representation of nature and the world. The possibilities – for memorialisation, for documentation, for art and for science – were endless. Photography quickly became a mass medium, and the promise of new optical realism changed the way Victorians saw the world.

Within a decade, photography had reached Australia and become part of the way colonial Australians imagined, portrayed and viewed themselves, their homes, their landscape and their lives.

Capturing Nature is inspired by a unique record of early Australian science: the first photographs taken at the Australian Museum. Numbering more than 2500, the collection ranges from the first tentative experiments in the early 1860s to the time when photography was becoming an indispensable part of museum practice in the early 1890s. Beautiful, haunting and sometimes strange, this unique collection is little known outside the Museum and has never been revealed to the public before.

Held in the Museum’s archives, the photographs document the rapid expansion of the Museum’s specimen collections in the second half of the 19th century. It’s a natural history rogues’ gallery: dozens of animals captured, mugshot style, against a white-sheet backdrop. The photos were taken in and EXPLORE Autumn 2019 | 23

Above: Gerard Krefft with the newly discovered Manta Ray, Manta alfredi, in the Museum’s courtyard in 1869.

This photograph, taken by Henry Barnes, was sent by Krefft to Prince Alfred with a request for permission to name the new species after him. Photo by Henry Barnes Right: Sunfish, Mola alexandrini, captured in Darling Harbour in December 1882 and presented to the Australian Museum by sawmill proprietor Robert Chadwick.

Photo by Henry Barnes

around the Museum, mostly in the courtyards and gardens to best exploit the precious light required by the photographers’ rudimentary cameras. The exhibition features 67 large-scale images, with almost 100 more featured in the companion book. The subjects vary from a large sunfish and the flipper of a Sperm Whale to a gorilla and the fragile bones of a flamingo. Alongside the animals, the photographers sometimes documented themselves – holding a specimen or posed next to a manta ray for scale. The images they left behind are a window straight into their world.

Alongside the photographs, the exhibition features a selection of the original specimens captured on glass more than 150 years ago. The display of early photographic equipment and taxidermy tools illustrates the painstaking processes of preparing the specimens and making the photographic glass plates.

And for the first time, the Museum’s fragile, earliest photographic albums are on display.

Photography could record specimens as they arrived at the Museum, capturing true-to-life texture, size and shapes before the detailed work of taxidermy began.

Making a modern museum For the Australian Museum, the 1860s marked a lucky confluence of skills, experience, need and technology. In 1864 – after several years as assistant and acting curator – Gerard Krefft was officially appointed to the top job, museum curator, a position he held for 10 years. Krefft had encountered photography as a member of the 1856–1857 Blandowski expedition through Victoria along the Lower Murray and Darling Rivers. His new position at the Australian Museum allowed him the time to fully explore the medium and its possibilities.

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Photography had arrived in the colony of New South Wales in the early 1840s, but for its first two decades was mostly commercial. For both photographer and subject, the process was arduous. Cameras were heavy and expensive; exposures were long. For the general public, the arrival of the new carte de visite format in 1859 – a small calling card featuring the sitter’s portrait – was wildly popular and, worldwide, cartes were taken and swapped in the millions. For scientists, photography offered a tantalising glimpse into the unseen-photographs could potentially reveal details that were too fast, too small or too far away for the naked eye to see. In Europe at this time it was scientists who were making some of the earliest photographic experiments.

At the Australian Museum, photos quickly became crucial. They could record specimens as they arrived, capturing true-to-life texture, size and shapes before the detailed work of taxidermy began. In the field, they recorded landscapes and people. And they recorded the Museum as it was – the early pictures of galleries, workshops and buildings are the first glimpses we have of the Museum’s daily work. The charm of the photos is in their human scale; these images acknowledge the human in scientific photography, rather than concealing it. Happily for us, as well as

Behind the exhibition

The koala When AM conservator Megan Dean-Jones encountered an historic taxidermy specimen of a Phascolarctos cinereus, a koala, she noted its surprisingly reasonable condition. There was one major problem, however – the 100-year-old marsupial was missing its left ear. To prepare it for display, Megan would have to give it a brand new one.

The job was challenging in that there was nothing left of the old ear to build a new ear onto. Megan started by tracing the shape of the right ear onto plastic adding an

attachment tab at the bottom.

This was flipped over, traced onto a light cardboard and cut to shape. The cardboard ear was then bent into an “L” shape and the tab section was attached with archival adhesive onto the koala’s head. Wallaby pelt was used as a substitute for the koala fur. Adhesive was applied to sections of pelt and bunches of cut fur to slowly cover the cardboard on both the front and the back. Once the shape of the constructed left ear resembled the right ear, the fur was painted with acrylic paints to help it blend in with the original specimen.

1

The koala before treatment, missing its left ear.

2

A cardboard ear is attached to the koala’s head.

3

Wallaby pelt is used to cover the koala’s new left ear.

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documenting spaces and an expanding collection, the photographs contain rich incidental details of time, place and people. Each picture tells a story and reveals the mark of its makers – sometimes literally: a thumbprint on a glass plate; a pair of legs revealed by a blowing sheet strung up as a backdrop.

In introducing photography into Museum practice, Krefft had the practical support of museum assistant Henry Barnes, who was able to turn his hand and eye as easily and confidently to the intricacies of taxidermy and articulation (the process of cleaning and assembling an animal skeleton) as to the complicated new techniques of photography. Both men were unafraid of failure, and they took to photography as they had to the other skills they needed to become competent field and museum naturalists – developing expertise through experimentation, trial and error, and learning by doing. The thousands of plates they produced over the 15 years they worked together represent not just an index of the Museum’s specimens, but also a new visual language for natural history. The introduction of photography at the Museum in the early 1860s was the beginning of an experiment that would change the institution.

Far right: In a rare moment of whimsy, Gerard Krefft leans out of a gallery window above the newly prepared skeleton of a Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon sp.

Photo by Henry Barnes Right: Like the mounted specimens, the articulated gorilla skeleton is posed to indicate aggression, as suggested by the wide-open mouth. Photo by Henry Barnes

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Outside the Museum, the images were a shorthand way to communicate the institution’s scientific status and progress. Disseminated to Krefft’s networks of mentors, collaborators and peers in scientific institutions in Europe, they also served to announce Krefft’s discoveries, and constituted an important part of his self-expression as a “man of science”. Photography also served as a means of informing peers of findings without having to relinquish the collection, as had previously been the case. Instead of sending precious specimens to Europe for description, Krefft could now take photographs of his discoveries and send those instead.

Within the Museum, the photographs were not for display but rather were circulated among staff and Trustees and kept as documentation of the ephemeral details of fresh specimens as they were prepared for the storehouses or for exhibition. Placed into a series of photographic albums, the prints were also important for collection management, control and comparison.

Nature on glass In photography’s first decades, processes were complicated and error-prone; chemical recipes hard to replicate; papers brittle and unreliable; and the sunlight that was so essential to the photographs difficult to regulate and control. Images printed on paper were sometimes fleeting, and when chemically unstable, quickly faded. But the negatives Krefft and Barnes created on cut sheets of handmade glass were robust, sharp and enduring. New high-resolution digital scans and the large-scale reproductions made for Capturing Nature have revealed some of this detail for the first time.

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Behind the exhibition

The lungfish It was Gerard Krefft who first recognised the importance of the Australian Lungfish to Western science, and the description and naming of Neoceratodus forsteri is arguably his most important zoological work. The lungfish, as the name suggests, has a rare ability for a fish – it can breathe air both above and below the water surface, and is believed to be the “missing link” between fish and amphibians.

In August 2018 conservator Megan Dean-Jones started work on an historic taxidermy specimen of a lungfish.

Collected from the Mary River in Queensland in 1885, this old specimen required complex repairs. The most

Right: Greater Flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus. This flamingo skeleton was presented to the Museum by the trustees of the Zoological Society of New South Wales (Taronga Zoo) in 1893. The zoo helpfully donated many bird and animal specimens that year, when Museum funds were halved because of a severe economic depression in New South Wales. as a result, opportunities for obtaining specimens were extremely limited.

Photo by Henry Barnes

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obvious problem was that the large scale on the top of the head was lifting up under tension and exposing the stuffing material inside. There were also splits in the skin extending out from the scale in both directions.

Megan planned a series of steps to restore the scale to its correct location. First, she introduced moisture to the hard, dislocated scale to make it more pliable. The scale was then weighed down and allowed to dry in the correct position. Next, the scale was attached to the body with archival adhesive.

Further gaps were then filled with Japanese tissue and starch paste pulp (which is a bit like paper mâché). Finally, the repair was painted with acrylic paints to match the surrounding area.

Of course, taking these photographs was not as easy as point-and-shoot.

Imagine the challenges faced by these early photographers. Beyond the bloody, painstaking process of preparing dead animals and bones for display in the hot Sydney sun with buckets, tubs and a basic tubs and a basic set of tool – hammers, chisels, files and drills – they faced the added technical difficulties of capturing their images one by one using the slow, cumbersome technique of collodion wet plate photography. Glass plates first had to be prepared by coating them with liquid collodion and silver nitrate in a series of chemical baths.

Time was of the essence as the plates had to be used quickly before the chemical balance was lost. They were carefully slid into the camera one by one. The glass plates were exposed to light by simply removing the lens cap – this was a process of trial and

1

The damaged lungfish before treatment.

2

The gaps are filled with Japanese tissue and starch paste pulp.

3

The lungfish after treatment.

error depending on the time of day, availability of light and sensitivity of the chemicals. The exposed plate then had to be taken to the dark room for development in further chemical baths. To make a print, the finished glass plate was sandwiched into a frame with albumenised paper and exposed to light, next to a window or outdoors. Every step required skill, ingenuity, patience and the coordination of many participants, as revealed by the shadowy figures who sometimes appear as blurred, ghostly presences in the photographs.

Initially, photography was the initiative of Museum staff, who mostly covered expenses themselves and used their own equipment and chemicals. The Museum’s conservative trustees were suspicious of these first photographic experiments, and less than eager to embrace photography’s potential for efficiencies, outreach and

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Right: Jacky Winter, Microeca fascinans. Museum ornithologist AJ North discovered these two brown flycatchers in a nest in an apple tree near his Chatswood home in Sydney in 1892. He carefully transported the tiny birds to the museum to be photographed, and returned them safely to their nest and their anxious parents the same afternoon. Photo by Henry Barnes jnr

the global circulation of scientific knowledge. They agreed to the purchase of a new lens for Krefft to take to Wellington Caves in 1869, but the Museum did not pay for its first camera until 1881, when then curator Edward Ramsay insisted they purchase his entire personal photographic kit. The first dedicated photographic studio was built in 1893.

The legacy of the photography The collection and the story of early photography at the Museum are haunted by Gerard Krefft’s untimely fate, a story with a climax that unfolds partly through his photographic work. A coming clash between the new breed of museum worker exemplified by Krefft and the progressive scientific ethos that he championed, and the natural history establishment exemplified by a certain set of the museum’s trustees, was perhaps inevitable. Krefft would prove a visible and somewhat tragic casualty.

He lost the job he loved after only 10 years. The unfair treatment of Krefft and his personal tragedy of stubborn misunderstanding casts a shadow over his photographic collaboration with Henry Barnes, and in hindsight make these images especially poignant.

Capturing Nature is about the making of the modern museum – and the part played by the creation, reproduction, use and distribution of information and iconography through photographic images. And it is about the content of those images, representing some of the untold stories from the 30 |

Museum’s early productive years of systematic collection, display and public access to its natural history and cultural holdings.

The story of the images’ creation represents a wonderfully expressive moment in the formation of Australian scientific identity. Captured in the photographs they took, it is also the story of Krefft and Barnes, as together they experimented with the new science of photography, identifying and refining its ongoing purpose at the Australian Museum.

Like the preparation techniques of taxidermy and articulation that shape, groom and present specimens, photography remains an important part of the of the work of natural history museums. For the first time, Capturing Nature reverses the lens, picturing the museum through its own historical photography collections.

Exhibition closes 21 July.

Book available at the AM Store.

New acquisition

The intense colour of crocoite, caused by the element chromium, cannot be adequately described in words and is difficult to capture in a photograph. The name crocoite is from the Greek, meaning “saffron orange”, but the naked eye can detect far more nuance – shafts of crimson and glints of grapefruit. Its high lead content adds a bright sparkle.

The Museum has several outstanding specimens of crocoite crystal groups, the best being on display in the 200 Treasures exhibition in the Westpac Long Gallery. However, crocoite gems – facetted stones – are almost unknown, with perhaps only a few dozen in existence worldwide. There a few reasons behind their scarcity. The mineral is found in just a handful of locations around the world, with the best confined to a few mines at Dundas, on the west coast of Tasmania. Crocoite crystal needles are usually very thin and often near-opaque, so the chance of finding a piece large enough to facet, free of internal flaws and of sufficient clarity, is remote. Furthermore, crocoite is soft and brittle, and poses a significant challenge to gem cutters to avoid chipping or breaking along cleavage directions.

This acquisition adds to the Australian Museum collection a unique and colourful,

A rare crocoite gemstone

faceted 1.75 carat Tasmanian gemstone that is outstanding in its class. It fulfils an objective of the Museum’s gem collection strategy: to acquire rare and unusual gems facetted from minerals normally used as ores of metals (for example lead and zinc) and not usually found in gem form. Such gemstones are invaluable reference pieces for scientific study and have high educational value for public displays.

This acquisition was made possible through a

Ross Pogson Collection Manager, Mineralogy and Geosciences

grant from the Patricia Porritt Acquisition Fund through the Australian Museum Foundation.

Image: Faceted 1.75 carat crocoite, 6 x 5 x 5 mm, Red Lead Mine, Dundas, Tas. Acquired 2018

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The collection

Making a mark Dr Robin Torrence, Senior Principal Research Scientist, Archaeology, investigates the emergence of tattooing in the Pacific region Tattooing was and remains an important part of social life in the Pacific region.

Tattoos carry messages about initiation and marriage status, clan affiliation or success in warfare. But how old is this practice?

In the 1990s, Australian Museum archaeologists discovered tattooing tools on New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea, that dated before 1500BC – among the oldest in the world. But much work was needed to confirm the initial findings. In 2018, they published their results, showing how variable the practice was and tracing the spread of tattooing from its first use in the Bismarck Archipelago region of Papua New Guinea into Melanesia.

The world’s oldest known human bodies that bear ink designs have been mummified. In the tropics, however, this kind of preservation doesn’t occur, so archaeologists must search for tools. Perishable materials that may have been used, such as thorns and shell, would not survive very long so stone artefacts have the most potential for studying ancient tattooing.

Our work began in the lab. To better understand what to look for on the tools, we used replicas made from obsidian – a black, volcanic glass with a very sharp edge – to tattoo designs into pigskin with red ochre, white clay and charcoal. Following that, microscopic analysis revealed wear patterns on the replicas that would help us identify the ancient tools: broken edges, polishing, scratches and residues of the colouring materials. We also learned it is important to dull the pointed end so it doesn’t penetrate too deeply into the skin, which might cause dangerous wounds or release colouring into the bloodstream.

Left: Young Motuan girl from Papua New Guinea being tattooed, circa 1930. A wooden hammer taps another tool encasing a thorn, which makes a puncture and inserts the black colour into the skin.

Photo by Roland Voldham

Armed with this knowledge, we looked for the same wear patterns on original obsidian tools from archaeological sites in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. From this point, we could begin to create a timeline and a map of the way this social practice proliferated through the region.

Above: A sample of ancient obsidian tattooing tools. Two artefacts with a round shape at top and bottom left from the Solomon Islands, dating to around 2000-3000 years ago.

The remaining four tools are some of the earliest from New Britain and date prior to 3600 years ago. The points at the tips are carefully dulled and they have stems for inserting into a handle. Photos by Nina Kononenko

The earliest tattooing tools, dated to be no younger than 3600 years old, were discovered on New Britain Island. There was a simple kind of tool – pointed obsidian flakes – which must have been used very carefully to avoid causing serious wounds. The pointed tips on another type were deliberately dulled. Most tools were held in the hand, perhaps with plant material wrapped around them as protection from the sharp edges. On a third version, a small protrusion was formed so that a handle could be attached. In this early period, charcoal is the only colouring agent we identified.

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Left: Gola, from the Kove region of New Britain, proudly displays tattoos on her forehead and cheeks. Photo by Glenn Summerhayes Right upper: Making tattoos on pigskin with a replicated obsidian tool and charcoal mixed in water. The microscopic wear patterns formed on this tool provided a model used for identifying ancient tattooing tools. Photo by Robin Torrence Right lower: Volunteers conducting tattooing experiments on pigskin with charcoal and ochre as colouring agents. From left: Nina Kononenko, Karen Stokes, Rebecca Bryant, Pip Rath.

Photo by Robin Torrence

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About 3200 years ago, red ochre was added for colouring. Pointed flakes of obsidian continued to be used, some of which were made on rectangular tools with long parallel sides. At this time, people first began to migrate out of Papua New Guinea into the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Although they took the practice of tattooing using simple obsidian tools with them, they also invented new tools, possibly associated with unusual ritual practices. A pointed or square protrusion was made between two notches. Sometimes these tattooing tools had two or even three points. The pointed ends would make small round scars, whereas the square shape was probably used for longer incisions.

After another 1000 years, when people had migrated further eastward into Polynesia, stone tools were replaced by the toothed tools used in the present day. In contrast, people in Papua New Guinea have continued to use simple obsidian tools for tattooing, as well as for bloodletting to cure illnesses or headaches.

While these small stone tattooing tools look unassuming, it’s amazing how they give us a much richer picture of social and ritual activities in a period for which we otherwise have very little evidence.

New acquisition

The Australian Museum has had a long association with research on the remote island of Lord Howe. Our collections from there are second to none and include a number of species that appear to have gone extinct. One of these is a large beetle that is predatory on woodboring beetle larvae and, unusually for such a beetle, flightless. It was named Cormodes darwini in homage to Charles Darwin for his prediction in Origin of the Species that island insects – like island birds – evolve the loss of flight.

The Australian Museum’s last specimens were collected in 1916 by foremost entomologist of the day, Arthur Lea, based at the South Australian Museum. The beetle must have been abundant as he donated many to other museums and amateurs around Australia.

Two years later, in June 1918, the steamship SS Makambo ran aground at the northern end of Lord Howe. The ship was beached for repairs allowing the black rats on board to escape to the island, where they have thrived, causing an environmental disaster and the demise of several endemic bird and invertebrate species. Long suspected of being among them, Cormodes darwini was declared extinct in a

The beetle everyone thought was extinct

recent taxonomic revision of this group of beetles.

However, Lord Howe is actually an archipelago, with tiny offshore islands that have remained free of rats. One of these has a few trees on it, just enough to provide dead wood for woodboring beetle larvae. When I surveyed the island in July 2018, I was amazed to find an adult and two larvae of Cormodes darwini. The beetle survives, but must be dangerously close to extinction.

The new specimens are preserved in ethanol and will be used in molecular studies

Chris Reid Principal Research Scientist, Entomology and Arachnology

of the group.

Image: Cormodes darwini Pascoe, described 1860, collected Lord Howe Island, NSW. Acquired 1918. Below: Adult and larva, Cormodes darwini Pascoe, described 1860, collected Lord Howe Island, NSW. Acquired 2018

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April School Holidays

Dive into fun!

Join us for one of Sydney’s favourite school holiday programs, with drop-in events, science workshops, behind-the-scenes tours, craft activities, a museum sleepover and even yoga among the animals.

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Dinosnore

Scientist for a Day: Marine Biologist

12–13 April, 6pm to 8am the following day Ages: 6–14 years

16 & 17 April, 9am–4pm Ages: 8–12 years

This is your chance to snuggle up at the feet of a Stegosaurus! This epic night at the museum includes a buffet dinner, live animal demonstration, torchlight tour, film screening, plus breakfast and kids’ yoga in the morning.

Leave your child in the morning, pick up a scientist in the afternoon. If you’re wild about whales this program is for you!

Mini Makers: In the deep sea 13–18 April & 22–28 April, 11am–12pm and 1pm–2pm Ages: 4–12 years Dive into the coolest underwater party where children and accompanying adults craft bioluminescent sea creatures and rock out at the silent disco.

Claymation film workshops 23 & 24 April, 9.30am–3.30pm Ages: 8+ years These full day workshops give kids the chance to write, shoot and edit a short claymation movie using a mix of natural resources, recycled materials, and of course, clay. All materials will be provided and everyone takes home a DVD of their masterpiece.

Wild Yoga for kids 16 & 17 April, 8am, 8.30am, 9am Ages:4–7 years Led by yoga teacher and Play School presenter Rachael Coopes, Wild Yoga is set in the stunning Wild Planet exhibition beneath a 17m whale skeleton and surrounded by 400 of Earth’s most fascinating birds and beasts.

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Around the Museum

Clockwise from above left: Aunty Karleen Green at January school holiday craft event. Photo

by Nick Langley Kim McKay with Kim Barnes,descendant of Henry Barnes, at the Capturing Nature opening.

Photo by Nick Langley Members trip to the National Museum of Australia, Canberra.

Photo by Chanele Moss The AM’s Sperm whale skeleton undergoes maintenance. Photo

by Colin Johnston Gomeroi artist Rob Waters performs at ngalu warrawi marri / We Stand Strong. Photo by Nick Langley Vanessa Finney signing copies of her book at the Capturing Nature opening. Photo by Nick Langley Ross Pogson and Kim McKay are joined by Mayor of Bathurst, Graeme Hanger and the NSW Minster for the Arts, The Hon Don Harwin to announce the relocation of the Albert Chapman Minerals Collection to Bathurst. Photo by Abram Powell Launch of the Treasures Illuminated in the Westpac Long Gallery. Photo

by Tim Levy

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Thank you The Australian Museum Foundation would like to acknowledge the support of our donors in helping us realise our vision as a place of exploration and discovery. These generous individuals and organisations contribute to our scientific research, education and public programs and assist in the acquisition of items to enrich our collections.

Lifetime Patron Sir David Attenborough OM CH CVO CBE Patrons Ann Macintosh Trust Chris & Gina Grubb Diccon & Elizabeth Loxton Alasdair & Prue MacLeod Memocorp Australia Pty Ltd Helen Molesworth The Paradice Family Foundation Brian Sherman AM & Dr Gene Sherman AM Benefactors Jennifer Crivelli Graeme Wood Foundation Mary Holt & the late Dr John Holt Neilson Foundation Treasures Circle Robert Albert AO RFD RD David & Megan Armstrong Ben Barham & Gretel Packer Dr Charles & Mrs Beverly Barnes The Calvert-Jones Foundation Carrawa Foundation Paul Connor Jennifer Crivelli Warwick Evans Lily & Tina Gao & the New Business China Association Claude & Maryanne Gauchat Belinda Gibson & Jim Murphy Peter & Judy Gregg Chris & Gina Grubb The Hartzer /Trevor-Jones Family Prof Ian Hickie Dr Janice Hirshorn & Dr George Jacobs The John & Frances Ingham Foundation Warwick & Ann Johnson The John Spencer Dickinson Family Virginia Judge & daughters Cecily, Theresa, Rebecca & Dr Patrick Tooth Keith & Maureen Kerridge Chris & Belinda Knierim Jim Lennon in Honour of Jean Lennon Lindblad Expeditions Catherine Livingstone AO & Michael Satterthwaite Diccon & Elizabeth Loxton Alasdair & Prue MacLeod The Macquarie Group Foundation Memocorp Australia Pty Ltd The Moore Family Jacqui & John Mullen William Murray & Gretel Packer The Nelson Family Francesca Packer Barham & Gretel Packer The Paradice Family Foundation The Patterson Pearce Foundation The Purcell Family Endowment Fund in Honour of Mrs Lorna McClelland Robert Purves AM

Billie Rose & Warwick Evans Professor Jan Scott & her friends Jack, Sissi, Coquohalla & Otis Penelope Seidler AM Albert Y Wong AM & Sophie Wong Fengjun Zhu President’s Circle Robert Albert AO RFD RD Claude & Maryanne Gauchat Bill & Alison Hayward The Horizon Foundation Bruce Jenkins Judy Lee Rendere Trust – Jim Phillipson Robert Rich Anonymous Director’s Club Sir Ron Brierley Maile & Charles Carnegie Margot & Stephanie Chinneck Dr Zeny Edwards JIBB Family Foundation Dr Janice Hirshorn & Dr George Jacobs Kim McKay AO Alice Arnott Oppen OAM Sherman Foundation Vonwiller Foundation Anonymous Guardians Hugh Allen Bill & Annette Blinco Natalia Bradshaw R & P Cassidy Phillip Cornwell Mr Trevor Danos AM & Dr Veronica Lambert Margaret & Peter Donovan Fivex Pty Ltd Susan Foster Dr Elie Hammam Peter Homel & Louise Taggart Howard H W Prof Rebecca Johnson Eugenia Langley Leathan Family Helen McCombie Bill Manos Suzanne G Meli Eveline Milne Drs Jane & Neville Rowden Drs Jean & Evan Siegel Fiona Sinclair Maisy Stapleton Christopher & Fiona Still John Stitt Christina Stitt-Ditfurth Martin Terry Vera Vargassoff Wendy Walker Dr Tony & Mrs Doffy White Ray Wilson OAM Darren Yong & Connie Chaird Custodians Antoinette Albert James & Belinda Allen Ken & Roddy Bell Christine Bishop John Buttle Carrawa Foundation

Hugh Dixson Edward Griffin Dr Gary Holmes & Dr Anne Reeckman John Leece AM Howard Lewis The Hon Justice Jane Mathews AO John Pearson & Mark Clark Tim Regan David Robb David & Daniela Shannon Mrs Diana Southwell-Keely Ross Steele AM Tehmi Sukhla Anne Sullivan Robin Torrence Sara Watts Wavish Family Foundation Stephen Wilson Supporters Allens Lauren Atmore Dinah Beeston John Benaud Jane Bridge Elizabeth Cameron John Cameron Chikako Carter Caroline Crane Roma Gillam Dr Ronnie Harding Nicholas Hill Fiona James Warwick Klabe Elaine Macdonald Ross McNair & Robin Richardson Ros Madden Bradd Morelli Shanthini Naidoo Bruce Norton John Richardson Frank & Judith Robertson Dr Susan Ryerson Jacinta Spurrett Francis Walsh Anonymous Grants Gordon Darling Foundation Lansdowne Foundation The Lionel & Yvonne Spencer Trust Anonymous Bequests Estate of the late Clarence E Chadwick Estate of the late Eileen Silk Estate of the late Gwendoline A West Estate of the late Jacqueline Heather Field Estate of the late Jean Marjorie Edgecombe Estate of the late Jessie Campbell Wise Estate of the late Merrill Pye Estate of the late Patricia M Porritt Estate of the late Phillip Jack Estate of the late William S Tatlow Gifts to AM Collections Steven & Janine Avery Ursula Burgoyne Sam & Louise Dawson Rod & Robyn Dent in honour of Pat Dent & the Wanindilyaugwa tribe Charles M Ellias The late Paul L Fischer John L Gordon Robin Guthrie

Mark Hanlon J Holliday The late John Hume Raymond Kirby AO & Mrs Deirdre Kirby Roger Langmead David Leece Leighton Llewellyn James McColl Mineralogical Society of NSW Inc Dr Max Moulds George & Edna Oakes Dorothy O’Reilly John Rankin Dr William Rieger John Rohde Paul Scully-Power AM Michael Shea Trevor Shearston The late Muriel Snell George Stacey Prof Gunther Theischinger The late Margaret Tuckson David Twine Janet Walker Anonymous Partners The Australian Museum is principally funded by the NSW Government Principal Partner Westpac Strategic Partner Destination NSW Government Partner Create NSW Major Partners 3M IBM Stockland Partners ANSTO Bunnings Group Limited Media Partners JCDecaux National Geographic News Corp Australia Supporting Partners 4 Pines Brewing Company AGB Events Archie Rose Distilling Co Australian Geographic City of Sydney Coral Expeditions Digital Camera Warehouse Eco Hopper Fyna Foods Australia Guardian Global Systems IAS Fine Arts Logistics Kent Street Studio LEGO City Oatley Fine Wine Merchants Panasonic Valiant Events World Wildlife Fund Eureka Prize Donors and Sponsors Finkel Foundation (Major Donor) 3M ANSTO Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre Celestino CSIRO Defence Science & Technology Department of Industry, Innovation & Science Macquarie University NSW Office of Environment & Heritage University of Sydney University of Technology Sydney UNSW

EXPLORE Autumn 2019 | 39

Exhibition on now

Early photography at the Australian Museum 1857–1893

SUPPORTING PARTNER

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