JS BATTYE LIBRARY OF WEST AUSTRALIAN HISTORY PRIVATE ARCHIVES DAISY BATES MN 1406 ACC 6193A MICROFILM COLLECTION Acquired from the National Library of Australia May 2004 MN 1406 Papers of Daisy Bates MS 365 NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA PAPERS OF DAISY BATES MS 365 MANUSCRIPT SECTION 1966 Revised 1988, 2002 2 Papers of Daisy Bates MS 365 Summary Creator: Bates, Daisy, 1859-1951 Title: Papers of Daisy Bates Date range: 1833-1990 Extent: 8.16m (51 boxes) and maps in elephant folio drawers Reference number: MS 365 Administrative Information Access Available for reference Provenance The papers were acquired by the Library in 1941. Scope and Content The papers consist chiefly of Daisy Bates’ manuscript and background material for The native tribes of Western Australia, written during Bates’ period of service with the Western Australian Government from 1904 to 1912. Originally the compilation was to have ten chapters, but by the time the Library acquired the papers they were divided into thirteen sections, followed by eleven loosely grouped forms of material. Superimposed on this arrangement was the division, by Bates herself, of the total collection into 99 ‘folios’. These folios are summarised on page 23 of The native tribes of Western Australia (Canberra, National Library of Australia, 1985). Several versions of the draft of The native tribes of Western Australia will be encountered within each folio. These versions are explained in detail by Isobel White on page 24 of the publication, but basically there is a pencil longhand version accompanied by typescript versions, the later drafts being produced by Miss E. Watts, the secretary provided by the Commonwealth to sort and type Bates’ papers. In the detailed list of the papers the longhand version is identified by the symbol ‘MSS’ following the title. Related materials The original material in MS 365 has been copied onto 59 microfilms (Mfm G 28 316-374). Transcripts of the collection, made many years ago by the Commonwealth, are also held in the Barr Smith Library, University of Adelaide. 3 Papers of Daisy Bates MS 365 As well as the photographs and maps contained in the manuscript collection, there are images of Daisy Bates in the Pictorial Collection and a number of maps in the Map Collection. Please consult appendices 3-5 and staff of these areas for further information. Other related manuscript collections include: MS 1830 A letter from Leon O’Broin to Reverend Thomas Leen, dated 20 December 1966, concerning the birthplace and forebears of Daisy Bates. MS 2300 Letters to Daisy Bates from Andrew Lang, Frank Harris, Rudyard Kipling, A. Chichester Bradon, H. Linlithgow, J.A. Gorges, Kingsley Fairbridge, Ruby Fairbridge and M. Gibney, together with a few other items. MS 3197 Letters from Daisy Bates to the Reverend John Mathew, and press cuttings and samples of hair from Aborigines. MS 6481 Papers of Bates’ biographer, Elizabeth Salter. They include research material for her book Daisy Bates: queen of the never never. MS 7739 Various items relating to Eleanor Witcombe’s research on Daisy Bates. MS 7374 Copies of correspondence, articles and press cuttings relating to Daisy Bates and W.P. Hurst. The originals are held in the La Trobe Library, State Library of Victoria. 4 Papers of Daisy Bates MS 365 Biographical note Daisy May Bates was born on 16 October 1863 in Tipperary, Ireland, the daughter of James Edward O’Dwyer and Marguarette Hunt. Raised in England, she migrated to Australia in 1884 and lived briefly in Townsville before obtaining employment as a governess at Berry, N.S.W. In 1884 she met and married Edwin (‘Breaker’) Morant. On February 1885 she (probably bigamously) married Jack Bates, a cattleman, and they had a son Arnold in 1896. For five years from 1894, Bates lived in London working as a journalist on the Review of Reviews. Bates returned to Australia in 1899, investigating ill-treatment of Aborigines for the London Times. Bates’ first contact with Aboriginal people was at the Trappist mission at Beagle Bay, north of Broome. In 1901 she temporarily rejoined her husband on the cattle station at Roebuck Plains, where tribes from the Broome district were camped. She began collecting vocabularies and observed sacred and ritual life. In 1904, Bates was appointed by the Western Australian Government to research the tribes of the State. Bates concentrated at first on the Bibbulmun tribe of the Maamba reserve in the south west where she recorded data on language, myth, religion and kinship. By 1910, Bates had completed a substantial manuscript on the Aborigines. Its publication was delayed by the arrival of an expedition led by A.R. Radcliffe-Brown to study the social anthropology of Aborigines of the north-west. Bates became interested in Aboriginal welfare after observing the fate of Aborigines exiled on the islands of Bernier and Dorre. In 1912 she camped at Eucla (S.A.) amongst the remnants of the Mirning tribe on the southern fringe of the Nullarbor Plain and in 1914 attended meetings of the anthropological section of the British Association for the advancement of Science. In 1915 she returned to the Mirning’s area, near Yalata. In 1918 she moved to Ooldea (S.A.) where she continued her welfare work. She was appointed C.B.E. in 1934. Throughout her life, Bates wrote numerous newspapers articles on Aboriginal life and was able to influence government in improving conditions for Aboriginal people. Her autobiography, The passing of the Aborigines, was published in 1938. In 1945 Bates moved to Adelaide where she later died at Prospect on 18 April 1951. References Australian Dictionary of Biography volume 7 Monash Biographical Dictionary of 20th century Australia (1994) 5 Papers of Daisy Bates MS 365 Explanatory Notes Numbering The original list for MS 365 has been revised so that the confusion arising from the variety of numbers used could be reduced, whilst still maintaining the original arrangement. On the left hand side of the detailed list are the Sections, identified by upper case Roman numerals. These are subdivided into Parts, identified by Arabic numerals. These Parts are in turn subdivided by lower case letters of the alphabet and finally by lower case Roman numerals. On the right hand side are Daisy Bates’ folio numbers, which are subdivided by the Library’s own system of items (i.e. pages). Since every piece of paper has been item-numbered, some of the ‘gaps’ in numbering on the list are in fact the covers or binders containing the manuscripts. For stocktake and shelving purposes the list is subdivided still further by manuscript box numbers. Readers are advised that the most reliable method of requesting Bates material is by folio/item number, or by manuscript box number if larger quantities are required. Copying Whilst the original papers of Daisy Bates are owned by the National Library, copyright in items written by Bates (with the exception of the typescript ‘The passing of Aborigines’) is owned by the University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia. Under the terms of the Copyright Act, 1968, copies of items by Bates could be supplied for retention by individual requestors only with the consent of the copyright holder, whether for the purpose of private research or for any other purpose. From 8 April 1986, however, the University of Adelaide authorised the National Library of Australia to supply requestors, for the purpose of private study or research, with single copies of documents or illustrative matter from the Daisy Bates collection in which it holds copyright, on condition that the requestor signs an agreement. Copies of this agreement, which is additional to the normal photocopy declaration form required by law, are available on request from the attendant in the Manuscript Reading Room. Readers are reminded that copyright in items in the Bates collection written by people other than Bates will still be protected by the Copyright act in the manner indicated by the first paragraph. Please ask a librarian for advice on copying items of this nature. 6 Papers of Daisy Bates MS 365 Table of Contents Summary of Sections and Folios Page 6 Detailed list Pages 7-43 Appendix 1: Correspondence in Folios 87 & 97 Pages 44-48 Appendix 2: Newspaper and magazine articles in Folio 88 Pages 49-56 Appendix 3: Daisy Bates special map collection Pages 57-62 Appendix 4: Index to photographs in Folios 94-96 by folio number Pages 63-71 Appendix 5: Index to photographs in Folios 94-96 by district Pages 72-83 Summary of reel numbers Pages 84-86 7 Papers of Daisy Bates MS 365 Summary of Sections and Folios Section Title Folios I Origins 1 - 2 II Geographical distribution 3 - 4 III Social organisation 5 - 14 IV Initiation ceremonies 15 - 16 V Totems 17 - 20 VI Religious beliefs, superstitions 21 - 23 VII Myths and legends 24 - 26 VIII Native food 27 - 28 IX Weapons, arts, crafts 29 - 31 X Diseases, remedies, death, burial 32 - 33 XI Dances, songs 34 - 36 XII Language: grammar and vocabularies 37 - 61 XIII General notes on Aborigines 62 - 66 Notebooks 67 - 79 Books and pamphlets annotated by Bates 80 Published articles 81 - 86 Correspondence (copies of letters by Bates; see 87 also folio 97) Notes, newspaper and magazine articles 88 Books and pamphlets: evidence before 89 - 90 Commission on Rottnest Island Records of native affairs 91 Maps 92 Miscellaneous (including maps) 93 Photographs 94 - 96 Correspondence, notes, lists etc (letters to 97 Bates; see also folio 87) Newspaper cuttings, annotated books and 98 - 99 articles 8 Papers of Daisy Bates MS 365 Detailed List Box 1 Section I Origin Parts 1., 1a. 1b. ‘Origin of the Australian race.’ Early versions folio 1/1-81 Part 2 ‘Origin of the Australian race.’ Later version folio 1/82-124 Part 1 ‘Origin of the Australian race.’ Early version.