Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) created the Koorie Index of Names (KIN) project in response to recommendation 2 of the wilam naling report. The report urged PROV to ‘undertake an indexing project of all relevant Victorian records in its custody to produce an Indigenous name index.’

The KIN project is being led by the Koorie Records Unit (KRU) with indexing support provided by the PROV Volunteers Program. Further information about PROV’s volunteer unit is available at: http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/about/volunteer.asp.

The KIN project aims to improve access to records containing information about Aboriginal people held by PROV, which will not only assist Aboriginal people to find information about themselves, but also about their families and their country.

Cultural sensitivity warning
Researchers are warned that files accessed through this index may contain distressing or offensive information and images of deceased people. The files were created by government officials many years ago and are written in the language of the day. They can be culturally insensitive.

What information does KIN contain?

• Names of Aboriginal people
• Names of non-Aboriginal people related to or associated with Aboriginal people
• Names of missions and institutions where Aboriginal people were placed
• Places where Aboriginal people have lived or visited

The index itself does not contain personal information about the people named. To see this information researchers will need to actually order the records concerned for viewing in the reading room of the Victorian Archives Centre at 99 Shiel Street North Melbourne.

Example record An excerpt from a notice of the upcoming auction of Percy Pepper’s soldier settlement farm. To our knowledge Percy is the only Aboriginal soldier in Victoria to receive a soldier settlement block after serving in World War I. PROV, VPRS 5714/P0, Unit 2508, Allotment 26 To find out more about Percy Pepper, see our publication Footprints that tells the story of Lucy and Percy Pepper’s life through records held by PROV and National Archives of Australia. Further information about this publication is available at www.prov.vic.gov.au/about/kru/footprints.asp

What records are being indexed?

The KIN project is indexing records across PROV’s collection that have specific relevance to Victorian Aboriginal people. Records identified as having a high degree of relevance to Victorian Aboriginal people will be indexed in phase one of the KIN project. Other records containing information about Aboriginal people will be reviewed and indexed on a case by case basis.

VPRS 10 Inward Registered Correspondence to the Superintendent of Port Phillip District, relating to Aboriginal Affairs, 1839–1851.
Note: this series has been digitised and is available online.

VPRS 11 Inward Unregistered Correspondence to the Chief Protector of Aborigines - Reports and Returns, 1847–1851.
Note: this series has been digitised and is available online.

These records were created by government agencies managing Aboriginal people residing on Victorian Aboriginal mission stations between 1839 and 1946. They contain a wide range of information about Aboriginal people, and include medical and education reports, correspondence, employment details, meeting minutes, annual reports, police reports, the issue of provisions, clothing and rations, and records of the movement of Aboriginal people across Victoria.

Information needed from researchers

You may not know many details about the person you are researching, but the more background information you have, the easier it will be for you to determine if there are relevant references to the person or family you are seeking.

The following kinds of details can assist you to locate people on the KIN database:
• Name of the person you are researching - including any variations in the spelling of given names, nicknames, or Aboriginal traditional names
• Family connections - the name of any parents, brothers, sisters or other relatives
• Language group, country or homeland - sometimes used to identify people
• Places - where the person was born, lived, worked, or was sent to
• Significant dates or ages - date of birth, age at events, or date of death of the person
• Time periods - the year or period the person was in a certain place or area, such as the period they lived on an Aboriginal station
• Significant events that may have occurred in the person’s life, such as being evacuated due to Aboriginal mission closures or enlistment for war service

For further information please refer to PROVguide 67 Koorie Heritage – Koorie Index of Names Project.

Accessing the KIN database

Alternatively the KRU can provide advice and assistance to researchers wishing to access the KIN database. Phone: 03 9348 5773 or tollfree 1800 657 452, Monday to Friday except public holidays.

Below are some photographs from the launch of the KIN database at the Victorian Archives Centre on 19 December 2008.

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