MAAC_E1907_555

Title: A Wangkathaa message stick held in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge

Description: Replica of a message stick According to MAA records: "Catalogue card notes 'Replica of a message stick' [added later] 'bearing burnt in marks'"

Item type: message stick in a collection

Subtype: replicative_traditional

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Wangkathaa Austlang: A12 - Wangkatha

Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is ?Laverton; 300 miles up country from Perth, Western Australia, Australia. This places it in Wangkathaa country. Linguistic area estimated based on site of collection. NR: the "?" is part of the online MAA record.

Dimension 1: 165mm Dimension 2: 10mm

Materials: wood; pigment; stone; resin

Source types: museum collection

Institution/Holder file: Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology object identifier: E 1907.555 (MAA: AR 1908.833)

Collector: Glascock, John Laybank [collector and donor]

Coordinates: 28°37'37.898400"S,122°24'17.398800"E  (-28.627194, 122.404833)

Media copyright: Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Notes on coordinates: Absolute coordinates for Laverton

URL institution: https://collections.maa.cam.ac.uk/objects/567764/

Notes: 24.11.23 NR: According to MAA records: "Context: Transcribed from register as object was not included on the database. Register adds 'Although the message stick is in all respects true to pattern it was never actually used but was made for me by a tribal craftsman. The fact being that unless such a article is made of bone (rather unusual with our tribe) it is destroyed as soon as finished with and so is rarely seen by whites. My onl way of getting one in use was would have been when taken it is from the man it protects by force, which for several reasons, of course, I did not care to do.' Exr. from letter of donor, dated May 25th 1908'"

Data Entry: Nitzan Rotman, Piers Kelly