Celebrated at first, then implied and finally denied: the erosion of Aboriginal identity in circus, 1851–1960

Despite the popularity of circus entertainments in 19th-century England, circus performers inherited the inferior social standing of itinerant entertainers. They were not only placed towards the lower end of the English social hierarchy but also at the lower end of a hierarchy within the world of entertainers. These were people 'of no place and no order of life'. Similar observations could be made of some early Australian circus families as many were established by former convicts and other marginalised people such as former tinkers, chimney sweeps, boot makers and hawkers. While Aboriginal performers made a valuable contribution to Australian circus, they were not represented in large numbers before the emergence of the Colleano and West families and their subsequent progeny. There were as many as 3,000 circus performers active in Australia over the period 1851-1960 and at least several hundred active at any one time by the first decade of the 20th century. The proportion of Aboriginal performers amongst them was by no means large - perhaps between 2 and 5 per cent of all active performers throughout Australia at any one time, but roughly consistent with the proportion of Aborigines in the total population.The erosion of Aboriginal identity in Australian circus between 1851 and 1960 is traced. Aboriginal identity was overtly celebrated at first, was subtly implied some years later but was concealed by 1960, the practice changing according to the change in respect given to Aborigines in Australian society.