‘He Does Not Speak of Civilizing the Australians Now’: Matthew Moorhouse, Craniology, and Aboriginal Protection in South Australia, 1839–65

Abstract

Matthew Moorhouse was Protector of Aborigines in the colony of South Australia from 1839 to 1856. He has been the subject of research by many scholars interested in the history of race relations and protective governance in early colonial Australia and is typically considered to have been one of the more sympathetic and dedicated officers to have served in the role of protector. A lesser-known aspect of his career is his collection of Aboriginal ancestral remains, including several skulls and two full skeletons, which he sent to a prominent craniologist in Britain. This article examines his career in light of these collecting activities, and argues that race science, specifically craniology and phrenology, provided for Moorhouse a rationale for abandoning the more ambitious aims of the early Aboriginal protectorates. Show more