ILI1948P102F1

Title: A photo of a message stick from Ion L. Idriess' "Over the range" (1948)

Description: Photos of two sides of one message stick fig (1) on p. 102 of "Over the range" by Ion L. Idriess

Message: This message stick was a tribal declaration of war. Above [fig. 1]: 1. Represents Walcott Inlet, where live the threatened tribe. 2. Each dot represents an individual fighting spearman of the Oonyarinyin who 3. At the creek below the hill of the Big Old Man will meet our Worara allies. 4. Charnley River. (Represented by long line.) 5. Fighting spearman of the Ngarinyin who 6. Where the lily creek runs from the Pandanus Spring will meet our friends. 7. Each line here burned along the side of the stick represents Ngarinyin tribesman who are coming. 8. Each burned line represents Oonyarinyin tribesman who are coming. 9. Meet at the point where the river is junctioned by the twin creeks. 10. You warriors from the Youngindah come! 11. We will fight at the Gibb river. Below (Reverse side) [fig. 2]: 1. To the people of the Oonyarinyin and Ngarinyin at the white-feller house at Walcott Inlet. 2. Ladmurra's fighting spearmen are ready. 3. Ungandongery's (Charcoal's) spearmen are ready. 4. The warriors of the Gibb River are ready. 5. The men of Youngindah are ready. 6. We will come down to the Isdell and meet you where the paper-bark creek meets the river. We will return to the Gibb River and fight. (p. 102)

Date Created: 1948

Notes on date created: terminus ante quem

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

Subtype: traditional

State/Territory: WA

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Ngarinyin Austlang: K18 - Ngarinyin Glottolog: ngar1284

Linguistic area 2: Chirila: Worrorra Austlang: K17 - Worrorra Glottolog: worr1237

Notes on linguistic areas: The message stick is associated with Walcott Inlet. Relevant locations are: Walcott Inlet [worr1237, ngar1284 and umii1236] Relevant language groups are "Oonyarinyin" [ngar1284], "Worara" [worr1237], "Ngarinyin" [ngar1284], "Younginda" [unknown], "Ladmurra" [perhaps a person's name]. Note that it is unusual to make a distinction between "Oonyarinyin" and "Ngarinyin"

Cultural region: WA_kimberley

Semantic domains: sd_activity_meeting, sd_activity_war, sd_person, sd_person_enemy, sd_person_group_language, sd_person_group_recipients, sd_place_confluence, sd_place_creek, sd_place_gibbriver, sd_place_house, sd_place_river, sd_place_walcottinlet

Sources:

Idriess, Ion L. 1948. Over the range: Sunshine and shadow in the Kimberleys. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.

Coordinates: 16°22'46.999200"S,124°29'40.999200"E  (-16.379722, 124.494722)

Notes on coordinates: Approximate coordinates for Walcott Inlet

Media Files:

Data Entry: Olena Tykhostup, Julia Bespamyatnykh, Piers Kelly