'An edifying spectacle': A history of 'tourist corroborees' in Victoria, Australia, 1835-1870

摘要

Parsons [Parsons, M. (2002). "Ah that I could convey a proper idea of this interesting wild play of the natives" corroborees and the rise of indigenous Australian cultural tourism. Australian Aboriginal Studies, 2(1), 14-27.) has persuasively argued that nineteenth century corroborees performed for non-indigenous audiences may be considered to be Australia's pre-eminent prototypical indigenous cultural tourism product. This paper extends Parsons' [Parsons, M. (1997). The tourist corroboree in South Australia. Aboriginal History, 21(1), 46-69; Parsons, M. (2002). "Ah that I could convey a proper idea of this interesting wild play of the natives" corroborees and the rise of indigenous Australian cultural tourism. Australian Aboriginal Studies, 2(1), 14-27.] analyses of 'tourist corroborees' in nineteenth century South Australia to corroborees staged in Victoria during the pastoral period and the gold rushes of the 1850-1870S. It argues that an Aboriginal-grown 'business acumen' developed rapidly in the economic climate of the Victorian goldfields. It also provides a historical context to this commodification.