Summary

This skirt or apron was amongst a collection of over 250 objects purchased by the museum from Charles Richards in 1902. Little detail is known about Richards but he lived in Bendigo at the time of the sale, and appears to have had a great interest not just in collecting Aboriginal artefacts. In 1892 he drew a series of maps showing "tribal" boundaries in parts of Australia and may indicate where he travelled and collected artefacts. This region included the area of the inland lakes system of northeastern South Australia where this object originates from.

Physical Description

A skirt made of the feathered hide of a pelican attached to a thick band of human hair string.

Significance

This is a remarkable apron as it is made almost entirely from strips of pelican hide with feathers intact.

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