Aboriginal Possum Skin Cloaks: Australia's Lost Garment

A Garment of Survival and Ceremony

Possum skin cloaks were once among the most important garments in southeastern Australia. Worn by Aboriginal peoples across what is now Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania, these cloaks provided warmth, protection, and a canvas for cultural expression. Suppressed during the colonial era and nearly lost, possum skin cloaks have experienced a remarkable cultural revival in the twenty-first century, becoming powerful symbols of Aboriginal identity and resilience.

Historical Context and Distribution

Before European colonization, possum skin cloaks were worn by Aboriginal nations throughout the cooler regions of southeastern Australia, including:

• Koori peoples of Victoria and southern New South Wales (Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung, Wathaurong, Gunditjmara, and many others)
• Palawa peoples of Tasmania (lutruwita)
• Ngarrindjeri and other nations of the Coorong and lower Murray River in South Australia

The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) was the primary material, though wallaby and kangaroo skins were also used. In the cooler highlands and alpine regions, cloaks were essential for survival during winter.

Construction: A Cloak That Grows with Its Wearer

The creation of a possum skin cloak was a cumulative process that could span years.

Gathering and Preparing the Skins

Possums were hunted using traditional methods, and the skins were carefully removed and cleaned. Each skin was scraped to remove flesh and fat, then stretched and dried. The skins were softened by rubbing with fat (often possum fat or emu oil) and sometimes treated with ochre.

Assembly

A cloak began with just a few pelts sewn together for a child. As the wearer grew, additional pelts were added, and the cloak expanded. A full adult cloak could contain 40 to 70 possum pelts. The skins were sewn together using sinew or plant-fiber thread, threaded through holes punched with a bone awl.

The pelts were arranged so that the fur faced inward against the skin for warmth, while the leather side faced outward and served as a surface for decoration.

Incised Designs

The outer leather surface of the cloak was decorated with intricate designs cut into the skin using sharp stone or bone tools, particularly mussel shells. These incised patterns were then rubbed with ochre (red, yellow, and white) and animal fat to make them vivid and permanent.

The designs depicted:

• Clan and family totems
• Maps of Country, including rivers, mountains, and significant sites
• Dreaming stories and ancestral narratives
• Geometric patterns unique to specific language groups

Cultural and Ceremonial Functions

The possum skin cloak was far more than a practical garment. It was deeply embedded in Aboriginal cultural life:

• Identity: The designs on a cloak identified the wearer's Country, clan, and personal story. Each cloak was unique to its owner.
• Ceremony: Cloaks were worn during corroborees (ceremonial gatherings), initiation ceremonies, and other significant cultural events.
• Swaddling: Infants were wrapped in possum skin cloaks for warmth and protection.
• Funerary use: In some traditions, the deceased were wrapped in their cloaks for burial.
• Bedding: At night, the cloak served as a blanket and sleeping mat.

Colonial Suppression and Near-Loss

The arrival of European colonizers from 1788 onward devastated Aboriginal communities and their material culture. Government-issued wool blankets replaced possum skin cloaks as part of colonial policies of control and assimilation. Aboriginal people were displaced from their lands, disrupting hunting practices and the transmission of cloak-making knowledge.

By the late nineteenth century, the tradition of making possum skin cloaks had largely ceased in most areas. Existing cloaks were collected by ethnographers and museums. Today, significant historical cloaks are held in institutions including Museums Victoria (Melbourne), the National Museum of Australia (Canberra), the British Museum (London), and the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.).

The Contemporary Revival

Since the early 2000s, Aboriginal communities in southeastern Australia have led a powerful revival of possum skin cloak-making. This movement has been driven by Aboriginal artists and Elders who recognize the cloak's significance for cultural healing and identity.

Key figures in the revival include:

• Vicki Couzens (Gunditjmara): A leading artist and researcher who has been instrumental in reviving cloak-making in Victoria.
• Lee Darroch (Yorta Yorta, Mutti Mutti, Boonwurrung): An artist who has made numerous cloaks and taught the practice to communities across southeastern Australia.
• Treahna Hamm (Yorta Yorta): An artist whose cloak-making practice bridges traditional techniques and contemporary art.

Modern Practice

Today's cloak makers source possum skins from New Zealand (where brushtail possums are an introduced pest species), avoiding the need to hunt Australian native animals. The techniques of sewing, incising, and ochre decoration follow historical methods, though some artists incorporate contemporary designs and materials.

Possum skin cloak-making workshops are now held across Victoria and New South Wales, and new cloaks are worn at ceremonies, graduations, Sorry Day commemorations, and Australia Day protests. The revival of the possum skin cloak represents one of the most significant cultural reclamation projects in contemporary Aboriginal Australia—a garment that once kept bodies warm now helps heal spirits and reconnect communities with Country and culture.