Biographical entry Eylmann, Erhard (1860 - 1926)

Summary

Erhard Eylmann was a German ethnologist who worked in Australia between 1896 and 1912. He went on several expeditions which saw him cross the continent from Adelaide to Darwin and back. During this time Elymann, collected fossils (which he donated to the University of Bremen, Germany) and studied the life, culture and languages of the local Aborigines. He has been dubbed a pioneer of Australian culture.

Details

Erhard Eylmann studied science and medicine at universities in Freiburg, Heidelberg, Leipzig and Würzburg, Germany. He and his wife Beate (nee Ruh) then moved to Cairo where they completed doctorates in philosophy (PhD) and medicine (MD). After the death of his wife, Eylmann returned to Germany (Berlin) in 1894 to take up studies in geology and ethnology. Almost immediately after completing his studies, Eylmann began a three year (?) expedition (1896 -1899) across Australia. He travelled by horseback, foot and train between Adelaide and Darwin and back. In 1908 he wrote a groundbreaking book "Die Eingeborenen der Kolonie Südaustralien" (The natives of the colony South Australia), which described the language, nature and culture of South Australia's Aborigines.

Published resources

Books

• Eylmann, Erhard, A further translation of selected chapters of Dr Erhard Eylmann's Die Eingeborenen der Kolonie Sudaustralie (The Aborigines of the colony of South Australia), Translated and transcribed by W.C. Gerritsen and Rupert Gerritsen., Intellectual Property Publications, Canberra, c.2002, 36 pp. Details
• Eylmann, Erhard., Die Eingeborenen der Kolonie Sudaustralien, Johnson Reprint Corporation, New York, 1966, 494 pp. Details
• Schröder, Wilfried, Ich Reiste wie ein Buschmann: Zum Leben und Wirken des Australienforschers Erhard Eylmann, The author, Bremen, 2002, 273 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Bunzendahl, O., 'Der Australien-Forscher Dr. Erhard Eylmann und seine Sammlung im Deutschen Kolonial-und Ubersee-Museum zu Bremen', in Veroffentlichungen, Deutsches Kolonial-und Ubersee-Museum, Bremen, 1938, pp. 33-80. Details

Online Resources

• 'Eylmann, Erhard (1860-1926)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1475678. Details