GAVENOR_DUGONG1974

Title: Sketch and photograph of land rights message stick sent to Gough Whitlam

Message: Canberra Times: "tribal elders will cause floods throughout their lands unless the land-rights issue is clarified within the next two months"

Courier Mail: "The main message is that if the aborigines receive no word on Mornington Island land rights within two months of the sticks being presented to the Premier and Prime Minister, tribal elders on the islands will cause floods to start."

Date Created: 1974

Notes on date created: exact date

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

Subtype: political

State/Territory: QLD

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Lardil Austlang: G38 - Lardil Glottolog: lard1243

Linguistic area 2: Chirila: Linngithigh Austlang: Y26 - Linngithigh Glottolog: leni1238

Notes on linguistic areas: Linguistic areas are given for Mornington Island (Lardi) and Aurukun (Linngithigh). Centroid coordinates are given for Lardil

Motifs: Courier Mail: Obverse: [feathers:]The Feathers at the end is White. That means No Trouble [six striations] Muneda Elsers of Tribe Asking for Rites (sic) of Land. [scalloping at edge] The sea all around. [cyclone wire grid] This is our land [interlocking diagonal meander]: We want our land [striations above and below meander] These are the people [cyclone wire grid] The land [six striations] The Elders of the tribe of round about Reverse: [four striations with x marks beneath each] Chief Elders of the N.S.E.W. [short striations beneath diagonal meander]: We would like to know the answer before two moon and these people are waiting. [two striations and two ovals with diagonal meander above and below] This is two Month Two Moon [flood making tool(?) underneath striations] If not we have our flood making. These people agree for it [cyclone wire grid] The Toetoem (sic) of flood making. [four striations] These are chief of the flood making] [double lines at each end on each side] flashmarks (?)

Semantic domains: sd_warning

Source types: newspaper article

Coordinates: 16°32'0.999600"S,139°24'24.901200"E  (-16.533611, 139.406917)

Notes on coordinates: Chirila centroid coordinates for Lardil

URL source 1: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page15957571

URL source 2: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article136986889

Notes: 30.03.2025 PK: There are three newspaper sources in total. They are as follows:

The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) 21 September 1974: 3. Web. 30 Mar 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page15957571>. PM pledges laws for Aborigines (1974, September 21). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 1. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article136986889

Anonymous. 1974. "Warning by message stick." The Courier Mail, 19 September.

The transcribed text of this last source is as follows:

TIME is running out on aboriginal land rights dealing - this message arrived in Brisbane yesterday on two wooden aborigi al message sticks.

One is for the Prime Minister (Mr. Witlam) and the other for the Premier (Mr. Bjelke-Petersen).

Tribal edlers of the Mornington Island aboriginal community have given two community members the task of delivering the message sticks.

They are Nelson Gavenor, chairman of the Mornington Island Aboriginal council, and Nicholas Dugong.

Helpers

Accompanying them to help are two members from Aurukin Island's aboriginal communtiy —Donald Peinkinna, chariman on the island's aboriginal council, and Jacob Walmby.

The picture shows (from left) Mr. Peinkinna, Mr. Dugong and Mr. Gavenor.

The sticks, with white feathers at each end, have patterns and smbols carved on both sides.

The main message is that if the aborigines receive no word on Mornington Island land rights within two months of the sticks being presented to the Premier and Prime Minister, tribal elders on the islands will cause floods to start.

Nelson Gavenor said it was decided to deliver this message on the tribal message sticks to get the best reaction from the State and Federal Government.

"Writing letters would get no results. We think these sticks are a step in the right direction," he said.

He said the deadline of two months for a reply — depicted on the sticks by two circles — was significant.

It meant that time was running out. Aborigines on Mornington Island wanted action quickly on land rights.

He said their visit was not meant to stir up trouble but to negotiate.

"The white feathers on the end of the message mean peace, not trouble," he said.

Difficulty

So far the aboriginal messengers have had difficulty arranging meetings with the two leaders.

Yesterday they were waiting on word from Canberra about details of their visit to Mr. Whitlam.

Their meeting with Mr. Bjelke-Petersen has not yet been arranged.

[illustration]

Drawings explain the message on the two sides of the stick. The wording for the explanation of the symbols is as written by the aborigines.

Media Files:

Data Entry: Piers Kelly