CPM1958P102F5F

Title: A message stick reproduced by Mountford (1958)

Description: The return purunkita to that notifying the death of Waniamperi is shown on Fig. 5F, G, H [PK: See CPM1958P105F7AB]. A messenger carried this purunkita to the Melville Island aborigines, together with the instructions about the conduct of the puka­muni from Jibunglialumi, the leader of the Bathurst Island group. On side F, the crossed square, a, refers to Urumatjina, c, to Marawani, and e, to Katopi, the three chief mourners at the pukamuni of Waniamperi. Katopi is the son of the dead man. Square b refers to instructions asking the workers" to build a screen of boughs round the grave so that unauthorized people cannot see it; d refers to the cleaning of the grave site, and to a request for the "workers" to dig out the roots and sticks in the ceremonial ground, so that the dancers will not injure their feet. On side G, the crossed square d, is the milimika of the Bathurst Island group, and b, that of the Melville Island people. Groups of lines, c, c, refer to the number of "working men" to be appointed, while cross-hatched areas, a, a, indicate a request to the "workers" to do their tasks well and happily. On side H, the lines, a, refer to burial poles to be erected around Waniam­peri' s grave; b, to the chief pukamuni men at Melville Island, and c, to the Bathurst pukamuni men whom Jibunglialumi will bring with him." (102)

Message: notification of death

Date Created: 1954

Notes on date created: Year of the National Geographic Expedition to Melville Island

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

Subtype: traditional

State/Territory: NT

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Tiwi Austlang: N20 - Tiwi Glottolog: tiwi1244

Notes on linguistic areas: The message stick is associated with both Melville Island and Bathurst Island. Ideally it would be localised to the site of Waniamperi's funeral but this cannot be found.

Cultural region: TopEnd_tiwi

Term for 'message stick' (or related) in language: purunkita

Semantic domains: purpose_response, sd_ceremony_funeral

Sources:

Charles P. Mountford (1958). The Tiwi: their Art Myth and Ceremony. London Phoenix Melbourne: Georgian House.

Source types: book article

Coordinates: 11°40'43.784400"S,130°50'7.332000"E  (-11.678829, 130.83537)

Notes on coordinates: Chirila centroid coordinates for Tiwi

Media Files:

Data Entry: Julia Bespamyatnykh, Piers Kelly