History by design in the Kimberley

[Extract]... Several such objects from northwest Australia held in museum collections in the United Kingdom and Ireland allow us to explore Aboriginal design and its meaning. Design is often considered in aesthetic and technological terms, but it also often carries symbolic meaning. Many objects collected in the colonial period and twentieth century can be seen to document historical moments, something also captured by 'contact' rock art, which depicts the changing world since colonisation begain in this region in the late nineteenth century, and the loss of Aboriginal people's unfettered access to Country. Museum collections also reflect differeing historical contexts. Collections were made by a range of colonial agents: settlers, police, exploratory and scientific expeditions, visitors, religious practitioners and entrepreneurs. Objects were purchased, stolen, gifted or found, while the collector is often named and given pre-eminence in collection records, such collections can also provide significant insights about the usually unnamed Aboriginal makers and historical agents, and reveal changing Aboriginal design sensibilities across time.