AMSD - Message Stick AWH1889P330F11

Coordinates WGS84

34°37'S, 137°36'E
-34.62, 137.60

AWH1889P330F11

Title: Sketch of a message stick reproduced in two of A. W. Howitt's publications (1889, 1904)

Description: Several sketches of the same message stick: fig. 11 and fig. 12 in 'Notes on Australian message sticks and messengers' (Howitt 1889) and fig. 8 and fig. 9 in 'The native tribes of southeast Australia' (Howitt 1904, p. 704)

Message: Figs. 11 and 12 represent the two sides of the initiation stick. [328] In fig. 11 (a) is a large notch representing the sender of the message, the headman of the tribe; the two small notches alongside are two of the old men who will assist him in seeing that everything is conducted properly. The notches at (b) represent all the men of his moiety of the tribe who will assist at the ceremony. The five notches at (c) represent the boys who will be initiated, and the pairs of notches at (d) the five couples of men who are assigned to look after the five boys.' Fig. 12 represents the men of the other moiety of the tribe who are invited to assist; (a) representing the two old men of that moiety (p329). "Figs. 11 and 12. Message stick for initiation of the Adjadura tribe. In fig. 11 (a) is a large notch representing the sender of the message, the headman of the tribe; the two small notches alongside are two of the old men who will assist him in seeing that everything is conducted properly. The notches at (b) represent all the men of his moiety of the tribe who will assist at the ceremony. The five notches at (c) represent the boys who will be initiated, and the pairs of notches at (d) the five couples of men who are assigned to look after the five boys.' Fig. 12 represents the men of the other moiety of the tribe who are invited to assist; (a) representing the two old men of that moiety. One-fourth scale." (Howitt 1889, p. 329, 332) "Nos. 8 and 9 are the two sides of a stick sent to summon to an initiation ceremony. The longer notches at the top of the righthand edge of 8 represent the old men to whom the stick is sent, those lower down are the women, and the edge on the other side being notched indicates that the men are to come. On No. 9 the three upper notches represent the sender of the message and two other old men. The notches all down the edge represent all the men of that moiety of the tribe. The five notches at the bottom of the right-hand edge are the boys to be initiated, and the five pairs of notches above represent couples of men to look after the boys during the ceremony. It is not lawful for women to see this stick, which would be sent rolled up with a corrobboree stick in some covering. Two of the three old men referred to on No. 9 are two principal men who have already been instructed by the sender of the message, and whose duty it is to see that everything in their department is done correctly." (Howitt 1904, p. 704-705)

Date Created: 1889

Notes on date created: terminus ante quem

Item type: image of a message stick (artefact missing)

Subtype: traditional

State/Territory: SA

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Narangga Austlang: L1 - Narungga Glottolog: naru1238

Notes on linguistic areas: The message stick is associated with the "the Adjadura tribe" (Howitt 1889, p. 332) "Narrang-ga tribe" (Howitt 1904)

Semantic domains: sd_ceremony_law, sd_person_boy, sd_person_group, sd_person_man_elder, sd_person_sender, sd_skin

Sources:

Howitt, A. W. 1889. “Notes on Australian Message Sticks and Messengers”. The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland 18. [Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Wiley]: 314–32

Howitt, A. W. 1904. The native tribes of southeast Australia. London: Macmillan and Co., Limited.

Source types: book chapter, journal article