Featured in this display is a morning star pole from Elcho Island which is a wooden ceremonial pole used in important Dhüwra ceremonies. It is 151cm tall with a 4.5cm diameter. On a brown background, brown and white natural pigments are used to paint stripes around the top, the upper third and also on the lower sections.
The mid section is painted with leaves extending from slim branches. White feathers top the pole and rings of short feathers are secured to circle points along the length of the pole. Several strands of long twine, with short white feathers woven intermittently down the length of the twine, extend from the collar of the pole.
On the wall, on the left side of the pole is an intricately detailed bark painting. It is rectangular piece of bark with an ochre border and tightly spaced drawings of people, animals, birds and crocodiles.
To the right of the pole are two bark paintings. Both have a black background with the figures composed in fine strokes of ochre, white and brown. The top painting depicts a large fish with a human figure either side pointing a spear towards the fish. The lower painting is of two wallabies - a small one at the front and one behind almost three times the size of the small wallaby.
On the right side of the pole is Edward Collett’s notebook with pen and ink drawings. The page on the left is a drawing of a branch with leaves and red berries. On the right side are two drawings – the top is of a figure wearing a tall headdress and a full-length garment standing in front of four men wearing smaller headdresses and red and white striped tops, waving their hands above their heads. The lower drawing is a front-on view of four different men, each with an object in one hand and a tree branch with leaves and berries in the other.
Towards the front of the case are three bark baskets from the Tiwi Islands. Each is made of a rectangular length of bark, approximately one metre long x 34cm wide folded in half and stitched along the sides. The baskets are painted with ochre in geometric designs symbolising specific clans and sites.
At the front of the case, on the left side, are two string figures set on rectangular pieces of cardboard. Each figure is like a line drawing formed by a single length of string. The figures have two limbs at the head and foot with the mid-section pulled in by circles of string. Placed between the string figures is a black and white photo of a young woman demonstrating string figure making.
Next along the front of the case are six cone seashells used as shell dolls by children at Hemple Bay, Groote Eylandt, to represent different family members. Coloured cream, brown and yellow, they range in size from a matchbox to a CD case. Three are wrapped in cloth, to look like clothes.
Beside the shells is a black rock – manganese oxide.
A narrow white box contains six Bogong Moths.
On the right side of the case is a Magpie Goose. It has black feathers on most of its body with a circle of white feathers around its chest. It has an orange, inverted triangular patch on its face and orange legs and webbed feet.