AustLit

'Utilising multiples lines of evidence this thesis investigates the nature of missionary and Aboriginal cross-cultural engagement within the context of the Weipa mission station (1898–1932). Placing particular emphasis on the missionary experience of this relationship, this thesis asks whether the aims and approach of the missionaries themselves changed as a result of their interaction with the Indigenous peoples of this region. The physical layout of the mission itself is analysed as a physical manifestation of the aims and priorities of the missionaries operating at Weipa. This part of the investigation also seeks to determine whether structures and space were used to control and restrict the movement of Indigenous residents in the manner of a total institution as suggested by Sutton (2003).'

'The thesis demonstrates that the missionaries operating at Weipa did indeed begin to alter their own missionising ideals in the course of their engagement with the Indigenous peoples of this region, accommodating and even incorporating Indigenous practices and resources within the daily operations of the mission. Furthermore, rather than operating as a total institution, the mission appears to have been concerned primarily with segregating the Indigenous peoples of this region from the undesirable elements of white settlement while allowing them to periodically re-engage with their traditional regional networks.' (Source: AAA website)