NBT1925F79P107F79

Title: A message stick from Groote Eylandt sketched by Tindale

Description: From Tindale, Norman B. 1925. "Natives of Groote Eylandt and of the west coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria." Records of the South Australian Museum 3 (1):61-102: "Amalipa Ceremonies When examining the hills at the sources of Amalipa Creek, flowing into Spencer Bay, during July, 1921, our accompanying natives, an Ingura and a Nungubuyu, pointed out a swamp containing many paperbark trees, a prominent landmark on entering the bay, as the site of a secret ceremonial ground." p84 "Having decided to hold a ceremony, messengers with painted message-sticks as passports, are sent to visit the various sections of the tribe some weeks beforehand." p86 "The message sticks sent out by the old men to announce the holding of ceremonies have no actual message depicted on them, being merely evidences of good faith; the recognition of the style of painting peculiar to the sender being a guarantee that the verbal message has authority. Pl. x. figs. 79 and 80, show examples of message sticks used by the islanders. The sticks are from eight to nine inches in length, nearly rectangular, with one end slightly tapered off. They are ornamented on both sides with a pattern of white and yellow lines: red appears as the background in seven or eight transverse bars, the background of the rest being black." p90

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

Media Files:

Data Entry: Piers Kelly