ANON1896P10F1

Title: Photo of a Queensland message stick from "The message sticks" (1896)

Description: Photo of two facets of one message stick on pp. 10-11 of “The message sticks.” (1896)

Message: This Message Stick was sent by the chief of the Conner's river tribe to the chief of the St. Lawrence river tribe asking him and his tribe to join in a Corroboree, to be held at the crossing or bridge on the Conner's river, and asking the chief of the St. Lawrence river to gather together all the game he could, as game were very scarce at their district. (pp. 10-11)

Creator of Object: Sender: the chief of the Conner's river tribe Recipient: the chief of the St. Lawrence river tribe

Date Created: 1870

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: Gabalbara Austlang: E45 - Gabulbarra

Linguistic area 2: Chirila: Guwinmal Austlang: E49 - Guwinmal

Notes on linguistic areas: The message stick is associated with "the country watered by the Conner's River, on the eastern coast of Queensland" (p. 10) This artefact, among the others from the same source, was obtained from "a tribe of aborigines inhabiting the country watered by the Conner's River, on the eastern coast of Queensland" (p. 10). We assume that "Conner's River" is intended to be "Connors River". The Connors River basin coincides with Gabalbara. Other groups, such as Mambura are on tributaries of Connors River. The object "was sent by the chief of the Conner's river tribe to the chief of the St. Lawrence river tribe asking him and his tribe to join in a Corroboree [...]". St Lawrence creek is situated firmly within Guwinmal country.

Semantic domains: sd_acculturation, sd_bridge, sd_ceremony, sd_game, sd_request_invitation_ceremony

Sources:

Anonymous. 1896. “The message sticks.” The Australasian Anthropological Journal 1 (1):10-11.

Collector: Mr. A. H. Fox, of the Bank of New South Wales, Taralga, brother of the gentleman who obtained them [sticks] from the aborigines (p. 10)

Coordinates: 22°33'41.605200"S,149°02'38.457600"E  (-22.561557, 149.044016)

Notes on coordinates: Chirila centroid coordinates for Gabalbara

Media Files:

Data Entry: Olena Tykhostup, Piers Kelly