Title: A message stick held in the Museum of Ethnography, Geneva (Musée d'ethnographie de Genève)
Description: MEG online catalogue: "Bâton de message" (Google translate: "Message stick"). According to a typewritten copy (PDF) of the original handwritten MEG Inventory: "Bâton-message. des indigènes australiens en forme de "gros cigarre" recouvert d'incisions ayant une signification. C'est au moyen de cet objet que le chef de la tribu convoque ses sujets à faire la guerre. Chaque espace, chaque ligne Indiquent le nombre des combattants, des armes. les routes à suivre, etc." (Google translate: "Message stick. Australian natives in the shape of a "fat cigar" covered with incisions having a meaning. It is by means of this object that the chief of the tribe summons his subjects to wage war. Each space, each line Indicates the number of combatants, weapons. the routes to follow, etc.").
Message: The chief of the tribe summons his subjects to wage war. Each space, each line Indicates the number of combatants, weapons. the routes to follow, etc.
Date Created: 1934
Notes on date created: terminus ante quem MEG online catalogue: "Early 20th century"
Item type: message stick in a collection
Subtype: traditional
State/Territory: Western Australia
Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is given simply as “Western Australia”. It therefore cannot be associated with a linguistic area.
Dimension 1: 390mm Dimension 2: 37mm
Materials: wood
Date collected: 1934
Institution/Holder file: Museum of Ethnography, Geneva (Musée d'ethnographie de Genève) object identifier: ETHOC 014357
Collector: Gift from: Father Marie-Fabien Moos, 1934
Media copyright: Museum of Ethnography, Geneva (Musée d'ethnographie de Genève)
URL institution: https://www.ville-ge.ch/meg/sql/musinfo_public.php?id=014357
Notes: 12.3.24 NR: MEG's original inventory register - not indexed, is also available and has been uploaded as an image.
Media Files:
Data Entry: Nitzan Rotman