Bloomfield River Oral History Project and photographs

The Bloomfield River Oral History Project contains 39 interviews conducted by Camilla Darling with local Kuku Yalangi elders and non-Aboriginal settlers in the Bloomfield River area. The interviews reveal the way of life of the interviewees and their families, and speak to the interactions and relations between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal settlers on the Bloomfield in a period prior to, and during missionary involvement. Some stories capture the knowledge, skills and beliefs of elders which have through time been eroded along with the change of lifestyle brought by the influence of European people. Other stories reflect on the tin mining and timber getting industries which were the two major industries on the Bloomfield, but have long since ceased. These oral histories amount to a powerful collection of memories of a community that spans from the time of James Cook. Digitised photographs and a digitised hand drawn map of the Bloomfield River region are included with the oral histories.