Defiler of Graves, Collector of Skulls
William Ramsay Smith is an “anthropologist” who was known in Britain for his authority on the subject of Aboriginal Australian Culture. In truth, he was little more than a grave-robber, who dug up the remains of aboriginal people in order to steal their possessions that they had been buried with or to take their remains back to his motherland. He had won many awards from the British Museum and was held in high regard until his death when public opinion of him shifted. When his home was searched after his death, 182 human skulls were found within. Smith wrote several books, the one I will be focusing on is “Myths and Legends of the Australian Aborigines”.
The book "Myths and Legends of the Australian Aborigines", ironically using the offensive word "aborigines" which has since fallen out of use, supposedly categorizes the, as the title suggests, myths, legends, and general stories that originate from Aboriginal culture. Due to the sourcing of his information and general crediting issues, the issue of whether his information is even accurate in any way is called into question. The book is quite large, and has been in printing as recently as 2011. Upon reading some of the stories he claims he obtained straight from the Aboriginal peoples, one may become sceptical. A quick search of the man's name will land the reader with what is now the general public opinion of Smith's "work".
William Ramsay Smith was highly regarded for his studies of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, at least in his home of Britain. Many years after his death, however, the UK suddenly decided it didn't quite appreciate receiving human body parts and thought to do a search of his home. It is in his home that 182 human skulls were discovered, and all at once public opnion of this once highly-regarded anthropologist took a turn, and he is currently seen the way he always should have been: As a graverobbing, lying fool.