[2] The collection consists of contemporary and historical Aboriginal Australian material culture from regions such as Arnhem Land, the Kimberley, Pilbara, the South West and the Western Desert.
The Museum was founded by Ronald and Catherine Berndt, who came to Perth in 1956 to develop teaching and research in anthropology at UWA, bringing with them a large collection of material acquired during their field work in various areas of Australia and Papua New Guinea.
This includes more than 11,500 items, 35,000 photographs, film and sound and multiple archives, and is considered to be one of the most significant collections of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and cultural material globally.
Yolngu from several clan groups were involved in creating the coloured crayon on brown paper drawings, many of which were inspired by land-based and interrelated designs evident on traditional bark paintings.
The drawings produced by significant artists such as Mawalan and Wandjuk Marika, Munggurrawuy Yunupingu, Narritjin Maymuru and Wonggu Mununggurr are among the 365 works currently held in the Berndt Museum's Collection.
The Berndt Museum Archive contains a number of discrete collections documenting Australian Aboriginal knowledge, law and culture, socio-economic and political life, histories and interactions.