NAWARLAGABARNMANG

Title: A message stick found at Nawarla Gabarnmang

Description: The site was excavated by Robert Gunn who wrote: "The sandy floor of the shelter, although in places disturbed by trampling buffalo, contained a wide range of surface artefacts, including a wooden spearthrower, wooden clap-stick (musical instrument), wooden message stick, tin sheet, and several ground stone axe-heads (Figs 6.10 and 6.11), as well as a range of stone flakes and worked wooden points. On the basis of the very high archaeological potential of the floor deposits, I suggested to the Jawoyn Association that they engage Dr Bruno David, an eminently qualified excavation archaeologist at Monash University, to undertake an excavation programme here and at other nearby sites."—Gunn, Robert. 2017. Art of the ancestors: Spatial and temporal patterning in the ceiling rock art of Nawarla Gabarnmang, Arnhem Land, Australia. Oxford: Archaeopress.

Date Created: 1920

Notes on date created: 1920 (maximum age)

Item type: message stick found in situ

Subtype: traditional_context

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Jawoyn Austlang: N57 - Jawoyn Glottolog: djau1244

Cultural region: TopEnd

Coordinates: 13°49'42.600000"S,132°42'25.300800"E  (-13.8285, 132.707028)

Notes on coordinates: Chirila coordinates for Jawoyn. Location of rock shelter is withheld

Notes: Images are provided here courtesy of Robert Gunn with the permission of the late Margaret Katherine. In an email to PK on 22 August 2020, Robert Gunn wrote: "The message stick was identified by Margaret Katherine on site. It was kept on site with several other wooden artefacts. It was a surface find, so most likely 100years max in age. We believe it was stolen by tourists about 3 years after the site made it to the media."

Media Files:

Data Entry: Piers Kelly