Figurehead of a First Nations woman
This figurehead is believed to be the earliest known surviving ship carving of a First Nations person from Australia.
The timber, carving and decorative motifs date it to the early to mid-1800s.
With the help of technology, the museum's curators are unravelling the figurehead's full story.
The visceral power of the figurehead's subject—a First Nations woman—has necessitated a re-evaluation of traditional maritime artefacts of this time in the museum collection, compelling an exploration through multiple, and at times conflicting, interpretive frameworks. This is particularly salient when considering that the figurehead, designed to embody the vessel's protective spirit, represented a First Nations individual from a culture undergoing profound dispossession and dislocation at the hands of the settler society that produced such objects.
This new Acquisition in the National Maritime collection sits among a rare few figureheads among museums in Europe the Americas and India where colonised people were purported to be depicted as folk heroes among expatriate European maritime communities.
See it up close
It is a remarkable piece of colonial maritime decorative art. First and foremost, it is a catalyst for exploring connections between First Nations and settler communities, while it is also a window into the early colonial world where boats were critical lifelines serviced by a developing industry.
Daina Fletcher, Senior Curator, ANMM
Research to this date has not identified the exact vessel the figurehead was carved for, however the Museum team have identified a small number of mid-19th century colonial vessels as likely hosts, including the Taree, built in 1834 on the Manning River NSW, the Yarra Yarra, built in 1837 on the Williams River NSW, the Tasmanian schooner Truganina built in Hobart Town in 1839 and the Settler’s Friend built in Ulmarra NSW in 1867.
While the provenance of the object is still uncertain, its condition and its depiction of a 19th century First Nations woman makes it incredibly rare and significant. The Museum will continue to investigate its origins.
The Museum has acquired the rare 19th Century figurehead thanks to support from the National Cultural Heritage Account and the Museum Foundation.
See it in the collection
It makes a profound statement. Figureheads were meant to be the protective spirit of a ship. Yet, this particular figurehead, created by the very settler society that was dispossessing and displacing First Nations people, depicts an individual from that same culture. This stark contrast forces us to look at these historical objects through multiple, sometimes clashing, perspectives.
Matt Poll, Indigenous Programs Manager, ANMM
Now on display
See the figurehead, currently on display in our Under Southern Skies gallery.
Uncover stories of navigators voyaging around Australia and across the Pacific, with hundreds of objects from the National Maritime Collection.
