Catherine Berndt
Catherine Helen Berndt | |
|---|---|
 Catherine Berndt,c.1952 | |
| Born | Catherine Helen Webb 8 May 1918 |
| Died | 12 May 1994(aged 76) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Anthropologist |
| Spouse | |
Catherine Helen BerndtAM,néeWebb(8 May 1918 – 12 May 1994) was a New Zealand-born Australiananthropologistknown for her research in Australia andPapua New Guineaconducted jointly with her husband,Ronald Berndt.
Early life and education
[edit]Catherine Helen Webb was born on 8 May 1918 inAuckland,New Zealand, in her great aunt's house, in which her mother had grown up. Her mother and aunt had moved to New Zealand fromNova Scotia,of Scottish ancestry. Her parents separated and her father moved to Australia.[1]
Career
[edit]Berndt published valuable monographs onAboriginal Australians,includingWomen's Changing ceremonies in Northern Australia(1950).[2]She authored over 36 major publications about women's social and religious life in Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, plus a dozen co-authored publications with others. One of Berndt’s best known collaborators from the aboriginal communities was the Maung womanMondalmi,who worked with her.[3]
Recognition and awards
[edit]For her work, Berndt was elected an Honorary Fellow of theRoyal Anthropological Institutein London. She was also the 7th woman elected as a Fellow in theAcademy of the Social Sciences in Australia.[1]
She was awarded in 1950 thePercy Smith Medalfrom theUniversity of Otago,New Zealand[4]and theEdgeworth David Medalfrom theRoyal Society of New South Wales,the latter jointly withRonald Berndt.[5]In 1980 she received a children's book award and medal for her book,Land of the Rainbow Snake,a collection of stories from WesternArnhem Land.[1]
Berndt was appointed aMember of the Order of Australiain the1987 Australia Day Honoursfor her "service to anthropology, particularly in relation to the Aboriginal society and culture".[6]
Death and legacy
[edit]With her husbandRonald Berndt,C. Berndt collectedIndigenous art works of Australiaand Asia. The collection is conserved in theBerndt Museum of Anthropology,founded by the couple in 1976 at theUniversity of Western Australia.[9]
Selected works
[edit]- The Aboriginal Australians: The first pioneers.Pitman.OCLC830566543.(co-author)
- Arnhem Land: Its history and its people(co-author)[10]
- "Monsoon and Honey Wind".1970.(about theWawalagmyth)
References
[edit]- ^abcKaldor, Susan (1988). "Catherine Helen Web Berndt (1918-)". In Gacs, U. (ed.).Women Anthropologists: Selected Biographies.University of Illinois Press. p. 8-16.ISBN978-0-252-06084-7.Retrieved26 November2023.
- ^"The Berndt Museum".The University of Western Australia Berndt Museum of Anthropology. Archived fromthe originalon 17 March 2012.Retrieved25 September2012.
- ^Berndt, Catherine,"Mondalmi (1910–1969)",Australian Dictionary of Biography,National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,retrieved29 February2020
- ^Davidson, Janet (1978)."The Percy Smith Medal".NZ Archaeological Association.Retrieved26 November2023.
- ^"Berndt, Catherine Helen".Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation.Retrieved9 February2024.
- ^"Dr Catherine Helen Berndt".Australian Honours Search Facility.Retrieved9 February2024.
- ^White, Isobel (1 September 1994), "Catherine Helen Berndt. (Obituary)",Oceania,65(1), University of Sydney: 1,doi:10.1002/j.1834-4461.1994.tb02484.x,ISSN0029-8077
- ^Stanton, John (1994), "Catherine Helen Berndt, 1918/1994. [Obituary]",Australian Aboriginal Studies (Canberra)(1): 93–96,ISSN0729-4352
- ^Stanton, John E. (1995)."The Berndt Museum of Anthropology at the University of Western Australia".Pacific Arts(11/12). Pacific Arts Association: 56–62.ISSN1018-4252.JSTOR23409734.Retrieved26 November2023.
- ^Sutton, Peter John (2001),Ronald and Catherine Berndt: An appreciation,Carfax,retrieved7 July2014
External links
[edit]- Berndt, Catherine (1918–1994)atThe Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia[dead link]
- Berndt, Catherine Helen (1918 - 1994),in theEncyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation
- Life SummaryinAustralian Dictionary of Biography(not a full entry)
