Catherine Helen BerndtAM, néeWebb (8 May 1918 – 12 May 1994) was a New Zealand-born Australian anthropologist known for her research in Australia and Papua New Guinea conducted jointly with her husband, Ronald Berndt.
Early life and education
Catherine Helen Webb was born on 8 May 1918 in Auckland, New Zealand, in her great aunt's house, in which her mother had grown up. Her mother and aunt had moved to New Zealand from Nova Scotia, of Scottish ancestry. Her parents separated and her father moved to Australia.[1]
Career
Berndt published valuable monographs on Aboriginal Australians, including Women's Changing ceremonies in Northern Australia (1950).[2] She authored over 36 major publications about women's social and religious life in Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, plus a dozen co-authored publications with others. One of Berndt’s best known collaborators from the aboriginal communities was the Maung woman Mondalmi, who worked with her.[3]
^"The Berndt Museum". The University of Western Australia Berndt Museum of Anthropology. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
^Berndt, Catherine, "Mondalmi (1910–1969)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 29 February 2020
^Davidson, Janet (1978). "The Percy Smith Medal". NZ Archaeological Association. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
^"Berndt, Catherine Helen". Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation. Retrieved 9 February 2024.