AMus_E013373

Title: A message stick held in the Australian Museum

Description: Sketch of message stick (fig. 327) on plate XVIII of “Ethnological studies” by W.E. Roth. Sketch of message stick (fig. 21) on p. 345 in Maria Frank's "Botenstäbe in Australien" AMus spreadsheet Oct 2022: "E013373 23 Mar 1905 message stick COMMUNICATION & MEDIA Australia Queensland Channel Country Boulia Boulia [ref reg]; Boulia, Queensland [ref LC] Purchase Roth, Dr Walter Edmund"

Message: «Come up to a meeting at Warenda» From: a once-known Boinji man Sent: 1895 To: mates Subject: meeting "Made by a Boinji (Boulia District). To be forwarded to wherever any of his mates may be staying. Obv.: To tell him to come up to the meeting place. Rev.: Covered with "flash" marks. The obverse was "read" from below up. A = sandhills, B = sandy creek, C = sandhills - these three together representing Ka-ti-min-ji-li, the particular spots where the Boinji have their head camp, D = country round about Marion Downs, E = plains and flat open country, F = Te-di-boo, the "five-mile" yard from Boulia, G = River Hamilton, H = " where we meet" - at a spot belonging to Warenda country." (p. 137)

Creator of Object: Sender: a Boinji (Boulia District)

Date Created: 1897

Notes on date created: terminus ante quem

Item type: image of a message stick (artefact missing)

Subtype: traditional

State/Territory: QLD

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Pitta-Pitta Austlang: G6 - Pitta Pitta Glottolog: pitt1247

Notes on linguistic areas: The message stick is associated with Boulia District Tindale describes Boinji as a horde of Pitta Pitta (http://archives.samuseum.sa.gov.au/tindaletribes/pitapita.htm)

Cultural region: Channel Country

Semantic domains: sd_creek_sandycreek, sd_hill_sandhill, sd_place_country, sd_place_meetingplace, sd_request_invitation

Sources:

Frank, Maria. 1940. "Botenstäbe in Australien."

Roth, Walter Edmund. 1897. Ethnological studies among the north-west-central Queensland Aborigines. Brisbane: Edmund Gregory.

Zeitschrift für Ethnologie 72 (4/6): 328-352.

Source types: museum collection

Institution/Holder file: The Australian Museum object identifier: E013373

Collector: Walter Edmund Roth

Coordinates: 23°32'32.938800"S,139°53'22.124400"E  (-23.542483, 139.889479)

Media copyright: The Australian Museum

Notes on coordinates: Chirila centroid coordinates for Pitta-Pitta

URL source 1: https://archive.org/stream/cu31924029890328#page/n257

URL source 2: https://archive.org/stream/cu31924029890328#page/n159

Notes: REGISTER

Date: March 23 [no year]

Name or Description: Message or letter stick, Boinji tribe, Boulia 1895

Locality: Boulia, 1895

How Acquired: Purch.

Name of Donor or Seller: Dr. W. E. Roth

Estimated or Market Value: S.6.

Destination:

Remarks: Figs Bull. 8 Pl 4 F2, Figs Eth. Studies. Fig. 327 Pl XVIII Text section 235-6

OTHER NOTES

Emu "Maker: Boinji tribe, Boulis, (Roth, p12)

03.03.2026 PK: Previously WER1897PXVIIIF327

Roth Bulletin 8 (1905):

Fig. 2.—Oblong, compressed, flat, edges obtuse, ends obtusely sub-angular. Obverse—Above an oblique “St. Andrew’s cross,” followed by a laterally reversed M; next a chequered panel; then a panel with four longitudinal incisions, succeeded by one with five transverse incisions, completed by a long basal panel with laterally reversed W N. Reverse—Wide apart, transverse, sub-parallel incisions. Length, 6 ½ in.; breadth, 7/8-in.

Boinji Tribe, Boulia. (See “Ethnological Studies,” 1897, pl. 18, f. 327)

Media Files:

Data Entry: Olena Tykhostup, Julia Bespamyatnykh, Piers Kelly, Nitzan Rotman