| Coordinates WGS84 | 15°28'S, 145°15'E -15.47, 145.25 |
AMus_E013404
Title: A message stick informing of one being sick, held in the Australian Museum
Description: Message or letter stick [ref reg]; Oblong, rounded ends. Incised longitudinal bands which cross each other, are infilled with grids, hatching and cross-hatching [ref LC]; Condition: Complete. Mould [ref LC].
Message: «My brother is sick»
AMus pdf from 24.01.2023: "Message or letter stick given me by a Morehead R. gin, at the 8 Mile, Cooktown, whose brother "by these presents" had sent word to say that he was sick (35 & 36) are probably portions of 1 stick [ref reg]; Same message as E.13402-3, which Roth thinks are portions of same stick. Part of message involving E.13401 and E013404 [ref LC];"
Creator of Object: Mus pdf from 24.01.2023: "Message or letter stick given me by a Morehead R. gin" Sender: brother Messenger: "Message or letter stick given me by a Morehead R. gin"
Date Created: 1898
Notes on date created: terminus ante quem
Item type: message stick in a collection
Subtype: traditional
State/Territory: QLD
Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Lamalama Austlang: Y136 - Mbarrumbathama Glottolog: lamu1254
Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is Cooktown, Cape York, Queensland, Australia. AMus pdf from 24.01.2023: "REGION: Cape York; ...at the 8 mile, Cooktown [ref reg]; The 8 mile, Cooktown, Queensland [ref LC]"
Dimension 1: 118mm Dimension 2: 27mm Dimension 3: 14mm
Source types: museum collection
Date collected: Acquisition date: 1898 Accession date: 24 March 1905
Institution/Holder file: The Australian Museum object identifier: E013404
Collector: Purchased by: Roth, Dr Walter Edmund
Coordinates: 15°28'19.898400"S,145°15'7.898400"E (-15.472194, 145.252194)
Media copyright: The Australian Museum
Notes on coordinates: Absolute coordinates for Cooktown, Queensland, per Google maps.
Notes: REGISTER
Date: March 24, 1905
Name or Description: Message or letter stick given me by a Morehead R. gin at the 8 mile Cooktown whose brother "by these presents" had sent in word to say that he was sick (35+36) are probably portions of 1 stick, Cooktown 1898
Locality: Morehead river
How Acquired: Purch.
Name of Donor or Seller: Dr. W. E. Roth
Estimated or Market Value: S. 35
Destination: Fig. 5 Bull. 8 Pl. 3 f4 reg. 2341
Remarks:
OTHER NOTES
AMus pdf from 24.01.2023: "Same message as E.13402-3, which Roth thinks are portions of same stick. Part of message involving E.13401 and E013404 [ref LC];"
Roth Bulletin 8 (1905):
Fig. 1.—Oblong, thin, flattened, although very slightly bi-convex, edges obtuse, ends truncate; dark-coloured wood with ruddles surface. Both on the obverse and reverse is a curious cross-like figure, composed of oblique, slightly curved, sub-parallel incisions crossed by shorter transverse oblique lines, forming a chequered ornament to the arms of the cross. In the angle formed by two of the t arms is an irregular rhomboidal figure. Length, 4 ½ in.; breadth, 2 in.
Cooktown. From a Morehead River gin at the Eight-mile, Cooktown, whose brother, “by these presents,” had sent in word to say he was sick.
Media Files:
Data Entry: Julia Bespamyatnykh, Piers Kelly, Nitzan Rotman
Related Entries: AMus_E013401, AMus_E013402