AMus_E013412

Title: A message stick held in the Australian Museum

Description: Message or letter stick [ref reg]; Message stick ref LC] Rectangular, squared ends. Widest sides, incised horizontal lines. 1 narrow side, incised crosses, other side, incised cross- hatching. Cross incised in middle, enclosed in horizontal lines, chevron also enclosed [ref LC]; Condition: Complete. Mould. Cracks and chipping [ref LC].

Date Created: 1899

Notes on date created: terminus ante quem

Item type: message stick in a collection

State/Territory: QLD

Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is Bathurst Head, Cape York, Queensland. AMus pdf from 24.01.2023: "REGION: Cape York; Bathurst Head [ref reg]; Bathurst Head, Queensland [ref LC]"

Dimension 1: 130mm Dimension 2: 17mm Dimension 3: 13mm

Source types: museum collection

Date collected: Acquisition date: 1899 Accession date: 24 March 1905

Institution/Holder file: The Australian Museum object identifier: E013412

Collector: Purchased by: Roth, Dr Walter Edmund

Coordinates: 14°16'3.000000"S,144°13'1.200000"E  (-14.2675, 144.217)

Media copyright: The Australian Museum

Notes on coordinates: Absolute coordinates for Bathurst Head, Queensland, per Google maps. Bonzle: Bathurst Head is in north of Queensland on the Coral Sea.

URL institution: http://collections.australianmuseum.net.au/amweb/pages/am/Display.php?irn=3439&QueryPage=%2Famweb%2Fpages%2Fam%2FAdvQuery.php&highlight_term=

Notes: REGISTER

Date: 24 March 1905

Name or Description: Message or letter stick

Locality: ​Bathurst Head 1899

How Acquired: Purch.

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

Estimated or Market Value: S.​45

Destination: Figs. Bull. 8. Pl. 1. F2 negative v. 2342

Remarks:

OTHER NOTES

Roth Bulletin 8 (1905): Fig. 5—Oblong, narrow, baulk-shaped, square-sided, the obverse and reverse and the two sides equal to one another respectively, square ended. Obverse—With horizontal or slightly oblique transverse incisions. Reverse similar to the obverse. Sides—On one of the sides are oblique incisions crossing one another from right to left and left to right alternately, forming rhombs and marginal triangular spaces; in the middle line is a square panel with a St. Andrew’s cross. On the other side is a similar arrangement of incisions, but the other side is a similar arrangement of incisions, but the other side is a similar arrangement of incisions, but the resulting rhombs more acutely drawn out, with two median square panels, one containing a “broad-arrow,” or “emu footmark,” and the other a St. Andrew’s cross. Length, 5 1/3 in.; breadth 5/8-in. Bathurst head.

Media Files:

Data Entry: Julia Bespamyatnykh, Nitzan Rotman