Abstract. – This historical analysis shows how differently the Australian Aborigines, the social structure of their society, their physical appearance, their hunter-gatherer economy, and their cultural artefacts were perceived, interpreted, and categorized by European naturalists, (physical) anthropologists, missionaries, and museum curators during the 19th and 20th century. Various aspects of Aboriginal culture were emphasized in academic theories depending on the scientific paradigms prevalent at the time and on the personal background of the respective author. This contribution suggests a new understanding of polygamous hunter-gatherer societies in Aboriginal Australia, based on new indigenous film material. [Australia, aborigines, historical anthropology, evolutionism, physical anthropology, origin of mankind, noble savage, polygamous society, cultural artefacts, museum collections, culture history, structural functionalism, original affluent society]