CPM1958P104F6AE

Title: A message stick from Snake Bay, reproduced by Mountford (1958)

Description: A purunkita (Fig. 6A, E), partly engraved, partly painted, was taken from Snake Bay first to the aborigines at Imilu, north-western Melville Island, [104] then to a group on Buchanan Island, notifying them of the forthcoming burial rituals. The three large ovals on Fig. 5 A are graves on Melville Island, the short transverse lines, b, b, the pukamuni poles, and the short lines, c, c, at the bottom of the purunkita, the tracks leading to the grave. The cross-hatched panels, a, a, represent the grass around the grave site. On the opposite side, Fig. 5E, the designs, a, a, are pukamuni poles, and b, h, old graves surrounded by poles (short lines, c, c). The dots represent the mourners at the grave. (104-105)

Message: A purunkita (Fig. 6A, E), partly engraved, partly painted, was taken from Snake Bay first to the aborigines at Imilu, north-western Melville Island, [104] then to a group on Buchanan Island, notifying them of the forthcoming burial rituals. (104-105)

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 origin of the message stick is Snake Bay; The message stick is associated with Snake Bay; and Imilu and Buchanan Island

Cultural region: TopEnd_tiwi

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

Sources:

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

Source types: book

Coordinates: 11°24'16.999200"S,130°40'40.800000"E  (-11.404722, 130.678)

Notes on coordinates: Approximate coordinates for Snake Bay

Media Files:

Data Entry: Julia Bespamyatnykh, Piers Kelly