AMus_E032200

Title: A message stick calling for ceremony, sent to Billy at Bluff Downs station, Queensland

Description: Summary: Sent in the 1890s by a traditional owner of the Clark River, likely in Yambina Country to a man known as Billy at Bluff Downs station in Gudjal Country. It conveys a call to large ceremony on an island formed in the fork of a river, known as an anabranch. The identity of Billy cannot be determined. Some photographs of Aboriginal people at Bluff Downs station are here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryqueensland/50571140507/in/photolist-2oLqCQd-2k3NjcD-2oLvzoB-2ovsCV5/ and here https://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryqueensland/53011273852/in/photolist-2oLqCQd-2k3NjcD-2oLvzoB-2ovsCV5 Mathews: "The message-stick here represented is a round piece of wood, a little over half an inch in diameter and six inches long, and is painted red. It was sent by one of the blacks on the Clark river, Queensland, to a black fellow known as “Billy,” residing at Bluff Downs station, on the Basalt river, asking him and his people to come to the Ana Branch, as a big corroboree was coming off. The localities mentioned are in the North Kennedy district, Queensland." (Mathews 1897, p. 297) See Notes field for details.

Message: «Come to ceremony between the rivers»

Creator of Object: Sender: "one of the blacks on the Clark river, Queensland, to a black fellow known as 'Billy', residing at Bluff Downs station, on the Basalt river" (Mathews 1897, p297; 1898) Recipient: "a black fellow known as "Billy," residing at Bluff Downs station" (Mathews 1897, p. 297; 1898) Sender: "one of the blacks on the Clarke River" Recipient: "a blackfellow known as "Billy", residing at Bluff Downs station, on the Basalt River"

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: Yambina Austlang: E51 - Yambina

Linguistic area 2: Chirila: Gudjal Austlang: E60 - Gudjal Glottolog: gudj1237

Notes on linguistic areas: For the origin point the best guess for "blacks on the Clark river" is Yambina, since this is at the beginning of the Clark River [now Burdekin River] basin. It is very uncertain however, and we would need better evidence for what RH Mathews considered to be the Clark River tribe. It was sent to the "Bluff Downs station" on the Basalt river (Mathews 1897, p.297). Bluff Downs Station is within the Gudjal language area. The "Ana Branch" is not necessarily a place name but is the term for a section of river that diverts and rejoins the main stem downstream. "The localities mentioned are in the North Kennedy district, Queensland." (Mathews 1897, p. 297)

Cultural region: Queensland

Semantic domains: sd_item_handkerchief, sd_item_luxury, sd_reminder, sd_request_item

Sources:

American Anthropologist 10 (9):288-298.

Mathews, R. H. 1898. "Message sticks."

Mathews, Robert Hamilton. 1897. “Message-sticks used by the Aborigines of Australia “

Scientific American Supplement 46:19195-1915.

Source types: museum collection

Date collected: Registration Date: 25-01-1929

Institution/Holder file: The Australian Museum object identifier: E032200

Collector: I obtained the message-sticks and all the details respecting them from Mr James E. Miller, a police trooper stationed at Goodooga township. He has been traveling through that district in the discharge of his official duties for some years past and is well acquainted with the numerous aboriginal population, who still preserve their ancient customs. (Mathews 1897, p.292)

Coordinates: 19°40'56.701200"S,145°32'22.498800"E  (-19.682417, 145.539583)

Media copyright: The Australian Museum

Notes on coordinates: This is the absolute location for Bluff Downs Station (destination of message stick)

URL institution: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-52785381

Notes: REGISTER

Date:

Name or description:

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OTHER NOTES

PK: This is very likely to be AMus_E032200 but need to check both sides of the object in the museum Previously RHM1897P292F7 Note that it is likely the wrong numbers are assigned to Mathews' sketches and he has mixed up fig 7 and fig 12. Here is the description of fig 7: "Figure 7.--This is a message stick or token sent by a man of the Clark River tribe to one of the blacks at the Basalt river, Queensland. The messenger who brought it said it was a reminder to the Bluff Downs natives to bring plenty of handkerchiefs and other fancy things when they next visited the first- mentioned tribe. The length of the stick is five inches and three-eighths and its diameter half an inch. It is simply a round piece of wood, without any paint upon it, marked all over in a somewhat similar manner to figure 12." Compare Fig 12: "Figure 12.-The message-stick here represented is a round piece of wood, a little over half an inch in diameter and six inches long, and is painted red. It was sent by one of the blacks on the Clark river, Queensland, to a black fellow known as “Billy,” residing at Bluff Downs station, on the Basalt river, asking him and his people to come to the Ana Branch, as a big corroboree was coming off. The localities mentioned are in the North Kennedy district, Queensland." (Mathews 1897, p. 297)

Media Files:

Data Entry: Olena Tykhostup, Julia Bespamyatnykh, Piers Kelly