FMC272896

Title: A message stick held in the Field Museum Chicago

Description: FM online catalogue: Message stick. Short length of wood cylindrical in section on which a series of incised etched lines and punctate marks form a pattern (largely rows of diamons). Collector's note says this object is called "Moolayid'dee" and served as nose ornament during some dances and as a "magic pointing stick".

Date Created: 1912

Notes on date created: terminus ante quem

Item type: message stick in a collection

State/Territory: WA

Notes on linguistic areas: The message stick is associated with West Australia, Duketon District.

Term for 'message stick' (or related) in language: Collector's note says this object is called "Moolayid'dee" and served as nose ornament during some dances and as a "magic pointing stick".

Dimension 1: 155mm

Materials: wood

Source types: museum collection

Date collected: Acquisition date: 1912 (collected in Australia by Mrs. Daisy M. Bates and acquired by Fuller on Feb. 17, 1912.) Purchase date: 1958 (Purchased from Captain A.W.F. Fuller of London, England)

Institution/Holder file: Field Museum object identifier: 272896 Catalog Number: 272896.nosub[1] Accession Number: [2616] A. W. F. Fuller (Purchase) Field Catalogue No. FC-1071

Collector: Captain A.W.F. Fuller of London, England

Coordinates: 27°38'20.400000"S,122°16'58.800000"E  (-27.639, 122.283)

Media copyright: Field Museum

Notes on coordinates: Absolute coordinates for Duketon, Western Australia, per Google maps. Wikipedia: Duketon is an abandoned town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located north of Leonora. The town boomed during the early 1900s as a result of gold being discovered in the area.

URL institution: https://collections-anthropology.fieldmuseum.org/catalogue/1181815

Media Files:

Data Entry: Nitzan Rotman