EM1914P157_158

Title: Messages stick from the Hann River region, Cape York

Description: Mjöberg, Eric. [1914] 2012. Among wild animals and people in Australia (Bland Vilda Djur och Folk i Australien). Translated by Margareta Luotsinen and Kim Akerman. Carlisle: Hesperian.: "During my expedition in the Kimberley I did not succeed in getting hold of any such message sticks. However during my second expedition in northern Queensland several of them fell into my hands. Even though this present book does not recount that trip, I cannot fail en passant to provide an example of such a message stick from Queensland, since it illustrates the natives' resourcefulness and ingenuity in a striking way. During my travels in the interior of Cape York Peninsula's more virgin districts, I suddenly came upon a Negro camp. Frightened at the sight of a caravan [157] of horses most of them fled with high screams, but some, who earlier had been in contact with a white man, and who knew a few words of pigeon English stayed. On the ground in front of them lay a newly carved message stick with inscriptions. I immediately confiscated the same and also succeeded in getting an explanation of the meaning of the inscription.

There was a lack of material for making spears in the camp. However a tribe further up on the Peninsula had a rich supply. A message was sent therefore to the north. A youth would bring over the friendly message stick, and spears along with other goods would be sent down as soon as circumstances permitted.

The message stick contained many facets. On one of its facets a number of long lines were seen. It was the number of spear shafts that they wished to get sent down; another side pictured graphically the number of young men who were to bring the trade material. Yet another asked for so and so many spear throwers or throwing sticks etc. A certain number of youths would meet the party coming from north – the path was on a facet marked by a zigzag line. This referred to the Hann River [fn:1: Hann River northeast Queensland – not to be confused with the Hann River in the Kimberley. KA.], which has a zigzag course. [PK: Note image in Endnote from Mjöberg’s 1918 book has four message sticks and the second from the left matches this description.]

In this way, simply but effectively, the children of the wilderness operate, when they wish to communicate with each other at a distance. The same system, although in different forms, seems to have a wide spread application over all parts of the continent. 158

PK: Note that the image is from a different book: Mjöberg, Eric. [1918] 2015. Amongst Stone Age people in the Queensland wilderness [Bland stenåldersmänniskor i Queenslands wildmarker]. Translated by S. M. Fryer. Carlisle, WA: Hesperian Press.

In this book he writes: "The carved hieroglyphics can be understood by the members of the new tribes and is a guarantee of the bearer's honesty. Sometimes the inscription on the stick carries a message. This was, without any doubt, the case with the stick, which I mentioned in my first book ( chapter 9, p. 251). On the surface could be seen a number of straight lines (Fig. 181). This indicated the number of spear shafts that a more southern tribe wished to obtain from a more northern tribe, in whose area a certain suitable plant grew. On the other side was indicated how many young men were needed to bring the material back. A zigzag line showed the route that they ought [266] to take. They were told to follow the Hann River, which twists and turns sharply to the left and to the right.

On other occasions the wooden stick acts more as a symbol that comes with a message from a different tribe, and the message itself is handed over by word of mouth. p267

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

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Data Entry: Piers Kelly