German-Aboriginal encounters at the Hermannsburg mission in central Australia, 1926–1952

This thesis examines the encounters between German Lutheran missionaries and Western Aranda Aboriginal people at the Hermannsburg mission in central Australia from 1926 to 1952. The relationships between English-speaking missionaries and Indigenous peoples in Australia is now well researched. However, only few studies have examined how the activities of German missionaries shaped the agency of Aboriginal people. This thesis investigates how Aboriginal people shaped the mission outcomes at Hermannsburg and explores what role German missionaries played in Australian colonialism. By analysing mostly unused German archival sources, this thesis provides new perspectives on the relationships between non-Anglo settlers and Indigenous peoples.