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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-11/act-aboriginal-chinese-history-australia-national-museum-exhibit/105161712>
'A new exhibition at the National Museum of Australia (NMA) in Canberra is
promising to captivate and educate visitors about the little-known history of
Aboriginal-Chinese Australia.
The
Our Story: Aboriginal Chinese People in Australia exhibition blends
contemporary artwork with archival material to showcase what the NMA calls a
powerful example of "truth telling".
Born in the Anhoi province in Southern China in 1960, exhibition curator and
lead researcher Zhou Xiaoping arrived in Australia in the 1980s.
Living and working in Aboriginal communities across Arnhem land and WA's
Kimberley, Zhou collaborated with prolific artists, including the late
Walmajarri painter Jimmy Pike.
He started "collecting" stories around 30 years ago, after meeting musician
Jimmy Chi.
Chi has a Bardi Aboriginal mother with Scottish heritage, and an
Australian-born father whose own parents were Chinese and Japanese.
"He told me a lot about his background [and] Aboriginal family history, but
also about the Chinese family history-ancestral heritage," Zhou said.
"I found that very fascinating to hear … since [then] I paid great attention to
collecting lots of information about this history [and] I realised and found
that this history was untold [in Australia]."
In 2022, Zhou formed a research team, which has since interviewed more than 100
people and families across the country.
For many, it was the first time they had shared their story.
"They said, 'We have been, like, rubbed out of the history in all these
stories'," Zhou said.
"They're really thankful to see someone can bring this [to] life, and to tell
the public, 'We are still here'.
"Some families have … eight generations [and] hundreds of people … and they are
so proud to have someone [involved in] the history.
"We got their story out in the public, for people to understand, who weren't
aware of [it]."'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
