Family History Research
The Strehlow Research Centre holds about 150 genealogies or "family trees". They describe the family relationships of thousands of Central Australian Aboriginal people. The information on these family trees was collected by Pastor Carl Strehlow and (later) Professor Ted Strehlow during interviews with senior Aboriginal men and women.
Some of the family trees are quite extensive, showing people who were alive as far back as the late 1700s. However, people born after about 1960 are not usually shown, since most of the information was collected in the 1950s and 60s. The family trees at the Strehlow Research Centre record names, conception sites, skin names and totemic affiliations, and often details about individual life histories. Our genealogical records primarily relate to Arrernte and Loritja people, but some Walpiri, Pintupi and Anmatyerre people are also included.
These records are an importance resource, assisting people to establish their relationships or affiliations with other people and with places. Today they are especially important for the issues around Native Title and the Stolen Generation. The Strehlow Research Centre provides copies of relevant information to people whose families are represented in the geneaologies free of charge.
Family Tree research at the Strehlow Research Centre
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