Norman Tindale
Encyclopedia
Norman Barnett Tindale was an Australia
n anthropologist, archaeologist and entomologist. Born in Perth
, his family moved to Tokyo
from 1907 to 1915, where his father worked as an accountant at the Salvation Army
mission in Japan
. Soon after returning to Australia, Tindale got a job at the South Australian Museum
in Adelaide
. Tindale was an assistant to Arthur Mills Lea
.
Shortly after this, Tindale lost the sight in one eye in an explosion which occurred during photographic processing
. This disability hindered him from following his boyhood passion for entomology, but he was still able to do important work, especially with hepialid
moth
s.
Tindale is best remembered for his work mapping the various tribal groupings of Indigenous Australians
. This interest began with a research trip to Groote Eylandt
where an Anindilyakwa man gave Tindale very detailed descriptions of which land was his and which land was not. This led Tindale to question the official orthodoxy of the time which was that Aborigines were purely nomad
ic and had no connection to any specific region. While Tindale's methodology and his notion of the dialectal tribe have been superseded, this basic premise has been proved correct.
After his retirement from the South Australian Museum, Tindale took up a teaching position at the University of Colorado
and remained in the United States
until his death, aged 93, in Palo Alto, California
.
At the University of Adelaide
, he had a 50-year collaboration with Joseph B Birdsell of Harvard University
and performed an anthropological survey in 1938-39 and 1952-54 on Aboriginal missions across Australia.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n anthropologist, archaeologist and entomologist. Born in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, his family moved to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
from 1907 to 1915, where his father worked as an accountant at the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
mission in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Soon after returning to Australia, Tindale got a job at the South Australian Museum
South Australian Museum
The South Australian Museum is a museum in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultural precinct of the Adelaide Parklands.-History:...
in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. Tindale was an assistant to Arthur Mills Lea
Arthur Mills Lea
Arthur Mills Lea was an Australian entomologist.Lea was born in Surry Hills, New South Wales, the second son of Thomas Lea, from Bristol, England, and his wife Cornelia, née Dumbrell, of Sydney....
.
Shortly after this, Tindale lost the sight in one eye in an explosion which occurred during photographic processing
Photographic processing
Photographic processing is the chemical means by which photographic film and paper is treated after photographic exposure to produce a negative or positive image...
. This disability hindered him from following his boyhood passion for entomology, but he was still able to do important work, especially with hepialid
Hepialidae
The Hepialidae is a family of insects in the lepidopteran order. Moths of this family are often referred to as swift moths or ghost moths.-Taxonomy and systematics:...
moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s.
Tindale is best remembered for his work mapping the various tribal groupings of Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. This interest began with a research trip to Groote Eylandt
Groote Eylandt
Groote Eylandt is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria in northeastern Australia. It is the homeland of, and is owned by, the Anindilyakwa people who speak the isolated Anindilyakwa language)....
where an Anindilyakwa man gave Tindale very detailed descriptions of which land was his and which land was not. This led Tindale to question the official orthodoxy of the time which was that Aborigines were purely nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic and had no connection to any specific region. While Tindale's methodology and his notion of the dialectal tribe have been superseded, this basic premise has been proved correct.
After his retirement from the South Australian Museum, Tindale took up a teaching position at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
and remained in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
until his death, aged 93, in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
.
At the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
, he had a 50-year collaboration with Joseph B Birdsell of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and performed an anthropological survey in 1938-39 and 1952-54 on Aboriginal missions across Australia.
External links
- Online Guide to Records at the South Australian Museum Archives
- Tindale Biography at South Australian Museum
- Tindale's Catalogue of Australian Aboriginal Tribes online at the South Australian MuseumSouth Australian MuseumThe South Australian Museum is a museum in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultural precinct of the Adelaide Parklands.-History:...
- Tindale bibliography