AMSD - Message Stick AMus

Coordinates WGS84

20°56'S, 139°22'E
-20.93, 139.36

AMus_E013387

Title: A Kalkatungu message stick held in the Australian Museum

Description: Message or letter stick [ref reg]; Message stick {ref LC) Oblong, both ends squared. Side A: Incised concentric chevrons in groups of 4, apexes meeting in middle to form star, incised herringbone. Middle of stick cut away, and line, 2 crosses incised. Side B: Incised with shapes, concentric lozenge, lines, crosses, middle of stick cut away and line and 2 crosses incised [ref LC]; Condition: Complete. Mould [ref LC]". Sketch of two facets of one message stick (fig. 333) on plate XVIII of “Ethnological studies” by W. E. Roth. Sketch of message stick (fig. 30a,b) on p. 345 in Maria Frank's "Botenstäbe in Australien"

Message: Fig. 333. Made by a Kalkadoon (Leichhardt-Selwyn District). A hollow band as it were is cut round the centre. A = the beard (yun-pul), B = the vulva (tin-ti). The remaining marks are all ornamental, flash."" (Roth 1897, p138) Note that AMus pdf from 24.01.2023: "Function: Obv: "Come up for a corroboree". Rev: "Quick! hurry up" {Ethn. Stud. Sect. 236). Message obt. from transmitter by Roth {Eth. Stud. Sect. 235) [ref LC];" however this is probably an error. The object that has this sense is AMus_E013375 (see notes for this entry) "In the Leichhardt-Selwyn District, the Kalkadoon letter-stick bears usually a design of a phallic nature (Fig. 333) ; sometimes the beard is represented." (Roth 1887, 137)

Creator of Object: Sender: a Kalkadoon AMus pdf from 24.01.2023: "Maker: Member of kalkadoon people {Eth no. St. p.138) [ref LC];"

Date Created: 1897

Notes on date created: terminus ante quem

Item type: message stick in a collection

Subtype: traditional

State/Territory: QLD

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Kalkatungu Austlang: G13 - Kalkatungu / Kalkadoon Glottolog: kalk1246

Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is Leichhardt-Selwyn district, Mount Isa, Queensland. AMus pdf from 24.01.2023: "REGION: Mount Isa; Leichhardt-Selwyn District [ref reg]; Leichhardt-Selwyn District, Queensland [ref LC]"

Semantic domains: sd_body_beard, sd_body_vulva

Dimension 1: 120mm Dimension 2: 24mm Dimension 3: 9mm

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

Date collected: Acquisition date: not mentioned Accession date: 23 March 1905

Institution/Holder file: The Australian Museum object identifier: E013387

Collector: Purchased by: Roth, Dr Walter Edmund

Coordinates: 20°55'55.909200"S,139°21'53.085600"E (-20.932197, 139.364746)

Media copyright: The Australian Museum