| Coordinates WGS84 | 20°54'S, 140°50'E -20.90, 140.83 |
AMus_E013369
Title: A message stick from Oorindimindi requesting spears, held in the Australian Museum
Description: AMus pdf from 24.01.2023: "Message or letter stick [ref reg] Flat wooden oblong stick, one end rounded, other squared off. Both sides differently decorated. Side A- incised longitudinal lines at one end, then grid pattern, zig-zag pattern on one edge. Side B- 2 angled incised grids, five leafrate shapes at centre infilled with longitudinal lines radiating from central line [ref LC] Condition: Complete. Water stain one side. Mould [ref LC]" Part of an illustration to a fictional series in the Brisbane Telegraph featuring the adventures of Captain Coldweather, Tom Barnacle, Mrs Noah and Bosun Bill. It is likely that this artefact is from the collection of WE Roth, who is cited. Two other artefacts in the same photograph can be positively traced to Roth's collection as illustrated in Roth's 'Ethnological studies among the north-west-central Queensland Aborigines' (1897). The images two artefacts have been merged with the records derived from Roth (1897).
Message: «Can I have some spears?» From: A once-known unitiated boy at Oorindimindi Sent: 1895 To: Tracker Billy (Mitakoodi) Subject: spears AMus pdf from 24.01.23: “Message or letter stick made by a Boulia (Pitta Pitta) boy at Oorindimindi who ran away from his own people to avoid circumcision etc. He was sending this to tracker Billy (a Maitakudi) at Cloncullt asking him for spears [ref reg];”
Creator of Object: Sender: "a Boulia (Pitta Pitta) boy at Oorindimindi who ran away from his own people to avoid circumcision" (AMus pdf from 24.01.2023) Recipient: "tracker Billy (a Maitakudi) at Cloncullt (sic)" (AMus pdf from 24.01.2023)
Date Created: 1895
Notes on date created: terminus ante quem; AMus pdf date
Item type: message stick in a collection
Subtype: traditional
State/Territory: QLD
Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Pitta-Pitta Austlang: G6 - Pitta Pitta Glottolog: pitt1247
Linguistic area 2: Chirila: Mayi-Thakurti Austlang: G16 - Mayi-Thakurti / Mitakoodi Glottolog: mayi1234
Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is Oorindi, Mount Isa, Queensland. AMus pdf from 24.01.2023: "Oorindimindi [ref reg]; Oorindimindi, Fullarton River, Queensland [ref LC]; "Oorindimindi" appears to be nolonger in use. Now called "Oorindi" (ref map. LGC 16/05/96)" 12.02.2025 PK: Note that Oorindi is found on a map for the name of the train station (presumably for mining trains). The exact location of the cattle station and associated Aboriginal settlement needs to be determined.
Cultural region: Channel Country
Dimension 1: 161mm Dimension 2: 31mm Dimension 3: 7mm
Materials: wood
Source types: museum collection
Date collected: Acquisition date: 1895 Accession date: 23 March 1905
Institution/Holder file: The Australian Museum object identifier: E013369
Collector: Purchased by: Roth, Dr Walter Edmund
Coordinates: 20°53'60.000000"S,140°49'58.800000"E (-20.9, 140.833)
Media copyright: The Australian Museum
Notes on coordinates: These are the coordinates for Oorindimindi, found on Tageo. Queensland, per Google maps. Bonzle: Oorindi is a locality just off the Oorindi McKinlay Road in west Queensland, Australia situated about 1430km west-northwest of Brisbane.
URL source 1: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article180628845
Notes: REGISTER
Date: 23 March, 1905
Name or Description: Message or letter stick made by a Boulia (Pitta Pitta) boy who ran away from his own people to avoid circumcision &tc. He was sending this to Tracker Billy (a Maitakudi) at Cloncurry, asking him for spears, Oorindimindi 1895
Locality:
How Acquired:
Name of Donor or Seller:
Estimated or Market Value:
Destination:
Remarks:
OTHER NOTES
Roth Bulletin 8 (1905):
Fig. 3.—Oblong, flat, compressed, edges obtuse, ends truncate; light-coloured wood. Obverse—Longitudinal and oblique transverse incisions, giving rise to a fish-scale pattern; above are two plume-like bodies formed by grouped longitudinal incisions, and on one margin a space bearing a serpentine or zigzag figure, the re-entrant spaces of which are occupied by an object resembling a weet-weet, surrounded by six groups of radiating lines, three on either side; above is an object resembling a wheat-sheaf or perhaps to speak more correctly, the base of a palm frond springing from the petiole; below the central¬¬ [11] figure are two groups of rhombs, one on either side. Length, 6 ¼ inc. ; breadth 1 1/8 in.
Oorindimindi (Fullarton River). Made by a Boulia (Pitta-Pitta) boy, who ran away from his own people to avoid circumcision, &c., and sent this stick to Tracker “Billy,” a Maitakudi, at Concurry, asking the latter for spears.
Media Files:
Data Entry: Julia Bespamyatnykh, Piers Kelly, Nitzan Rotman