It is important to understand that records about Indigenous people were created by a wide range of agencies, including:
- protection and welfare boards
- adoption agencies
- education and health departments
- police forces
- churches and missionaries
- anthropologists and a range of academics.
They were created for a variety of reasons, such as the 'protection and care' of Aboriginal people, but most significantly they document how governments regulated the lives of Aboriginal people.
- Some of the records were specifically about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
- Some of the records were 'mainstream'.
Researching Indigenous family history means that you will look for both types of records.
How do you get access to the records?
- Where to get help has contact information in each state and territory for the places that have the records