CPM1956P470F66_AB

Title: A message stick from Yirrkala reproduced in Mountford's "Art, myth and symbolism" (1956)

Description: A message stick from Yirrkala sketched in Charles P Mountford's 'Art, myth and symbolism'

Date Created: 1948

Notes on date created: terminus ante quem. This was one of a series sketched Mountford as part of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land

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

State/Territory: NT

Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is Yirrkala

Date collected: 1948

Collector: Charles P Mountford and the AASEAL

Place collected: Yirrkala

Coordinates: 12°15'18.698400"S,136°53'22.300800"E  (-12.255194, 136.889528)

Notes on coordinates: Absolute coordinates for Yirrkala, Northern Territories, per Google maps. Wikipedia: Yirrkala is a small community in East Arnhem Region, Northern Territory, Australia, 18 kilometres southeast of the large mining town of Nhulunbuy, on the Gove Peninsula in Arnhem Land.

Notes: On page 471 of 'Art, Myth and Symbolism', Mountford writes that Fig 66A, B was one of three unidentified sticks from Yirrkala that were "included to indicate additional designs employed on the message stick of that locality." Mountford wrote that "Whilst at Yirrkalla and Oenpelli I had to fly to Darwin several times on expedition matters. Each time I went one or more aborigines have me message sticks to deliver to their friends at Darwin. My procedure (after I had made a record of the message stick either by a sketch or a rubbing) was to write the meanings of the various symbols on a sheet of paper, wrap the paper round the message stick and enclose it in an envelope, on the outside of which I wrote the name of the recipient as a guide to my memory. When I delivered the message stick, which I did on all but two occasions, I was able to explain to the recipient the significance of the marks on the message stick by referring to my notes." p. 467. Figure designed by Jean Truran

Media Files:

Data Entry: Alexandra Roginski

Related Entries: CPM1956P468F65_AB, CPM1956P468F65_EF, CPM1956P470F66_C, CPM1956P470F66_D, CPM1956P470F66_EF, CPM1956P470F66_GH, CPM1956P472F67_AF, CPM1956P472F67_B, CPM1956P472F67_CE, CPM1956P472F67_DG, CPM1956P474F68_AB, CPM1956P474F68_CD, CPM1956P474F68_E, CPM1956P474F68_F