CPM1956P470F66_EF

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

Description: A message stick from Wondjuk to his partner, Baramala, in the ceremonial exchange cycle of Arnhem Land

Message: Wondjuk is asking his trade partner, Baramala to send two bundles of stone-headed spears to Wondjuk. This bundle of spears will be repaid, in turn, by articles which Wondjuk will collect in the Yirrkala area. "The elongated designs, a, on the bottom of the obverse and reverse side of Fig. 66 E, F is a request to Baramala to send two bundles of stone-headed spears to Wondjuk; c refers to a ceremonial string, purukuk, of the dua moiety, in which white eagle down is twisted during manufacture, and d, a carrying basket for Wondjuk's wife. The short parallel lines on either side are decorations only."

Creator of Object: Wondjuk

Date Created: 1948

Notes on date created: American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land

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

Subtype: traditional

State/Territory: NT

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Dhangu Austlang: N192 - Dhangu Glottolog: dhan1270

Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is Yirrkala PK: Dhangu is the probable Yolngu variety associated with Yirrkala

Cultural region: TopEnd_arnhem_east

Sources:

Charles P Mountford, 'Records of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land, 1, Art, Myth and Symbolism' (Carlton: Melbourne University Press, 1956).

Source types: book

Date collected: 1948

Collector: Charles P Mountford and AASEAL

Place collected: Yirrkala

Coordinates: 12°15'10.000800"S,136°53'30.001200"E  (-12.252778, 136.891667)

Notes: 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. Footnote 49: "Donald Thomson (1949) has given us a full description of the economic structure and ceremonial exchange system of Arnhem Land. The stone-headed spears, nambi, asked for by Wondjuk travel only in a northerly direction, while the articles from Yirrkala, ie. stone axes, ceremonial bags and feather ornaments, move in the opposite direction. The types of articles and their direction of travel are indicated in Fig. 2 of Thomson's book." Figure designed by Jean Truran

Media Files:

Data Entry: Alexandra Roginski, Piers Kelly

Related Entries: CPM1956P468F65_AB, CPM1956P468F65_EF, CPM1956P470F66_AB, CPM1956P470F66_C, CPM1956P470F66_D, CPM1956P470F66_GH, CPM1956P472F67_AF, CPM1956P472F67_B, CPM1956P472F67_CE, CPM1956P472F67_DG, CPM1956P474F68_AB, CPM1956P474F68_CD, CPM1956P474F68_E, CPM1956P474F68_F