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These photographs open a window into a difficult and pivotal moment for Australia's First Peoples. Taken around the turn of the 20th century, they document a world in flux as the colonial frontier advanced. The images don't shy away from the harsh realities of dispossession. But look closer, and you'll also see the remarkable resilience of family, the persistence of culture, and the deep strength of people connected to their land for tens of thousands of years. Each portrait captures an individual grappling with a profoundly changing present, all while carrying an ancient history in their eyes.

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#1

Group Of Women, With An Elderly Ngarrindjeri Woman In The Centre, Circa 1900

Indigenous Australians family from the 1900s posing outdoors in traditional clothing, capturing rare historical moments.

State Records SA Report

Final score:
9points
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    #2

    Mr. J.P. Smith (Left) And Lankey (Right), Lankey Was From The Booandik Tribe Of Mount Gambier, Circa 1900

    Two men standing by a large tree trunk in a rare glimpse of 1900s Indigenous Australians historical photo.

    State Records SA Report

    Final score:
    9points
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    #3

    Group Of Piccaninnies, Australian Aboriginal Children, 1900s

    Group of Indigenous Australian children from the 1900s in traditional and early Western clothing, captured in a rare historic photo

    Kerry & Co., Sydney Report

    Final score:
    9points
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    #4

    A Native Of Western Australia - Society For The Propagation Of The Gospel Postcard, 1900s

    Indigenous Australian woman from the 1900s holding a small animal, captured in a rare historical black and white photo.

    Report

    Final score:
    9points
    User avatar Viktorija Strelciunaite
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    #5

    Aboriginal Children At Lake Tyers Aboriginal Mission In Victoria, Australia, 1900s

    Young Indigenous Australian girl holding a toddler, capturing rare glimpses into 1900s Indigenous life in a black and white photo.

    Bulmer Report

    Final score:
    9points
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    #6

    At Point Mcleay, Australia, Circa 1900

    Group of Indigenous Australians in the 1900s, posed outdoors on rural land, capturing rare historical moments.

    State Records SA Report

    Final score:
    9points
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    #7

    The King Of Warramunga Tribe, Circa 1900

    Portrait of Indigenous Australian man from the 1900s, showcasing rare glimpses into early Indigenous Australian life.

    State Records SA Report

    Final score:
    8points
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    #8

    "Tommy King" Albany, Western Australia, 1900s

    Elderly Indigenous Australian man from the 1900s wearing coat and hat, standing with walking stick beside native foliage.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    8points
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    #9

    Fanny Smith, Recording Tasmanian Aboriginal Song And Speech, Hobart, Australia, Circa 1900

    Indigenous Australian woman and man from the 1900s with an early phonograph in a garden setting.

    State Library of New South Wales Report

    Final score:
    8points
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    #10

    Three Aboriginal Australian Men Posing Outside A Tent, Durundur Reserve, Circa 1902

    Three Indigenous Australians from the early 1900s standing side by side wearing traditional and Western-style clothing.

    John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland Report

    Final score:
    8points
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    #11

    Aboriginal Mia-Mia - Temporary Shelter Of The Australian Aborigines, In Albany, West Australia, 1906

    Indigenous Australians from the 1900s pictured near a traditional shelter with children holding sticks and a woman with dogs.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    8points
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    #12

    Church Organist At Lake Tyers, Victoria, Australia,1900s

    Indigenous Australian woman from the 1900s playing an old organ, offering rare glimpses into history through striking photos.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    8points
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    #13

    Man Collecting Sea Shells Or Food, Circa 1900

    Indigenous Australian man collecting shellfish on a beach in early 1900s rare glimpses photo.

    State Records SA Report

    Final score:
    8points
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    #14

    Children Playing Marbles At Point Mcleay, South Australia, Circa 1900

    Group of Indigenous Australian children from the 1900s standing and crouching outdoors near dense bushes.

    State Records SA Report

    Final score:
    7points
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    #15

    Australian Aborigine With Mask, 1900s

    Indigenous Australian man from the 1900s wearing traditional ceremonial attire and headgear, captured in a historic photo.

    Kerry & Co., Sydney Report

    Final score:
    7points
    POST

    It is impossible to look away from the faces we have seen so far without feeling the profound weight of their stories. Each photograph serves as a quiet testament to a way of life that has endured for ages. As we continue, the narrative shifts subtly, showing more direct encounters with the encroaching colonial world.

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    #16

    Flour Rations To Natives, South Australia, 1911

    Indigenous Australians in 1900s dressed in traditional attire, engaging in daily activities in an outdoor community setting.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    7points
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    #17

    Group Of Boys With Football, Point Mcleay, South Australia, Circa 1900

    Group of Indigenous Australian children from the 1900s standing outdoors wearing similar clothes in a rare glimpse photo.

    State Records SA Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #18

    Men Yarding Sheep At Point Pearce Mission Station, South Australia, 1900

    Group of Indigenous Australians in early 1900s rural setting with sheep and trees, showcasing rare glimpses through striking photos.

    State Records SA Report

    Final score:
    6points
    POST
    #19

    At Oodnadatta, South Australia, Circa 1900

    Young Indigenous Australian boy in early 1900s attire sitting on a chair, smiling in a rare historical photo glimpse.

    State Records SA Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #20

    Katie Cook And Bella Gollen At Manuka, Australia, 1906

    Two Indigenous Australian children in 1906, one holding the other, surrounded by dense branches in a rare historical photo.

    State Records SA Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #21

    Mission Chapel At Killalpaninna, South Australia, Circa 1900

    Early 1900s Indigenous Australians near a wooden church in a barren landscape showing rare glimpses through historic photos.

    State Records SA Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #22

    Natives, Albany, Western Australia, 1900s

    Rare glimpses into 1900s Indigenous Australians showing a group of women and children in traditional and colonial clothing.

    T. Todd Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #23

    The King Of Melbourne, Circa 1900

    Portrait of a 1900s Indigenous Australian man with a beard, offering rare glimpses into early Indigenous Australian life.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #24

    West Australian Aborigines, 1900s

    Group of Indigenous Australian children from the 1900s standing barefoot in worn clothing, offering rare glimpses into history.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #25

    King, Queen And Princess, Daly River, Northern Territory, Australia, 1900s

    Three Indigenous Australians from the 1900s eating traditional food, offering rare glimpses into historical Indigenous life.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #26

    Aboriginal Ladies In Day Dawn, Murchison, Western Australia, Circa 1907

    Group of Indigenous Australians from the 1900s posing outdoors, showcasing rare glimpses into early 20th century life.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #27

    Kitty In Her Canoe At Lake Tyers Station, Victoria, Australia, 1900s

    Indigenous Australian man fishing in a traditional dugout canoe on a calm river surrounded by forest in the 1900s.

    N. J. Caire Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #28

    David Unaipon, Point Mcleay Mission, Circa 1900s

    Portrait of an Indigenous Australian man from the 1900s wearing a suit, offering a rare glimpse into early Indigenous life.

    State Records SA Report

    Final score:
    6points
    POST
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    Feej
    Feej
    Community Member
    2 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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    #29

    Washing Wool At Point Mcleay, South Australia, Circa 1900

    Indigenous Australians in the 1900s working with traditional tools on a wooden platform over water in a historic black and white photo.

    State Records SA Report

    Final score:
    5points
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    In the next images, we see more individuals caught between tradition and forced assimilation, their expressions and circumstances revealing a powerful, often painful, struggle to maintain identity in the face of immense pressure.

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    #30

    Aboriginal Leader Called King Jimmy, 1900s

    Indigenous Australian man standing outside traditional shelter, offering rare glimpses into 1900s Indigenous Australians life.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    5points
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    #31

    Typical Australian Pioneer Hut With Aboriginal Lady At Door, 1900s

    Indigenous Australian woman standing beside a dog in front of a rustic wooden hut in early 1900s historic photo.

    The Rose Series Report

    Final score:
    5points
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    #32

    Australian Aborigines At Hobart For Carnival, 1900s

    Group portrait of Indigenous Australians from the 1900s in Hobart, showcasing rare glimpses into early 20th-century life.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    5points
    POST
    #33

    Arunta Tribesman, Central Australia, 1900s

    Indigenous Australian elder with a long beard wearing traditional headband in a rare early 1900s historic photograph.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    5points
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    #34

    Two Aboriginal People On The Banks Of A River, South Australia, Circa 1905

    Two Indigenous Australians standing by a river in the 1900s surrounded by trees and natural landscape.

    State Government Photographer Report

    Final score:
    5points
    POST
    #35

    Aboriginal Man, Bilin Bilin, Sitting Outside A Tent At The Deebing Creek Aboriginal Mission, Circa 1900

    Elder Indigenous Australian man sitting cross-legged outside a traditional tent in early 1900s black and white photo.

    John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland Report

    Final score:
    5points
    POST
    #36

    Group Portrait With Mary Ann Sullivan, Daughter Of An Aboriginal Woman Of Kamilaroi Or Anaiwan Descent And An Irish Settler, With Other First Nations People, Stoney Creek Mission, Ngoorumbah, New South Wales, Circa 1900s

    Group portrait of Indigenous Australians from the early 1900s showcasing rare glimpses of their community and culture.

    State Library of New South Wales Report

    Final score:
    5points
    POST
    #37

    Aborigines From Townsville, Australia, Circa 1905

    Group of Indigenous Australians from the 1900s dressed in traditional and period clothing, posing outdoors near shelters and trees.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    5points
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    #38

    The Black Trackers, Possibly In North Queensland, Australia, 1900s

    Two Indigenous Australian men from the 1900s riding white horses in a natural, grassy landscape with sparse trees.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    5points
    POST
    #39

    Nests And Eggs Of Australian Birds, Including The Geographical Distribution Of The Species And Popular Observations Thereon, Australia, 1901

    Man sitting on large tree branch overlooking rocky terrain in rare glimpses into 1900s Indigenous Australians photo.

    Internet Archive Book Images Report

    Final score:
    4points
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    #40

    A New South Wales Aboriginal King, Circa 1900

    Indigenous Australian elder from the 1900s sitting barefoot outdoors wearing traditional attire and necklace.

    Star Photo, Co. Report

    Final score:
    4points
    POST
    #41

    Australian Aboriginal's Wurley (Home), 1900s

    Indigenous Australians family standing outside traditional shelter in early 1900s, rare glimpses into historic daily life.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    4points
    POST
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    #42

    Australian Aboriginal King And His A.d.c.s, Victoria, Australia, Circa 1906

    Three Indigenous Australian men from the 1900s sitting outdoors, capturing rare glimpses through striking historic photos.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    4points
    POST
    #43

    Group Of Female Australian Aborigines, Circa 1904

    Group of Indigenous Australians from the 1900s sitting outdoors near traditional shelters and trees in a historical photo.

    Aussie~mobs Report

    Final score:
    3points
    POST

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