NMA1985_0059_0398

Title: A message stick for coordinating the timing of a ceremony involving Wiradjuri and Ngiyampaa communities

Description: NMA physical description: Wooden elliptical message stick, elliptical cross-section, one side of the stick is notched, and there are some lines extending down both sides. A central hole is incised on each side. NMA description: A drawing of both sides of 1985.0059.0398 includes explanation of its symbols. This explanation is reproduced here in full and the numbers refer to the different sides of this object: "1. The Mulga and the Lachlan tribes are to meet at a given point to perform the sacred Bora ceremony. The Lachlan tribe having the longest distance to travel have 3 months (or moons) notice. The Mulga tribe is allowed 1 month and 1 week. Closer in clans have a corresponding lesser time. 2. These marks convey the details of the ceremony proposed. The particulars are known only to the Karadja "Wise Men" of the tribes." Edmund Milne (1861-1917) was born in England and emigrated to Queensland with his parents 19 months later. He had had personal contact with Aboriginal people throughout his life, from when he was a small boy in Queensland and, from the late 1860s, in New South Wales. This contact may have led him to recording the names of Aboriginal people associated with particular objects in his collection, at a time when this was rarely done. Milne seems to have begun actively collecting Indigenous artefacts in the early 1880s and was still acquiring objects a few months before his death in 1917. His work with the NSW Railways (1876-1917) enabled him to meet a broad range of people who facilitated his collecting and associated activities like visiting Aboriginal sites. From at least the time he lived at Orange NSW (1906-1915), and later at Ryde (1915-1917), near to Sydney city, he displayed his collection at his home. In addition to a large collection of Aboriginal artefacts, Milne's collection included artefacts from the South Pacific and prehistoric implements from Egypt, France and England. In his will dated 12 December 1916, Milne bequeathed his 'Anthropological collection' to the 'first Federal Museum opened in the Federal Capital'. The collection remained at Ryde until early 1931 when it was acquired by the Australian Institute of Anatomy in Canberra. It remained there until the Institute's collections were transferred to the National Museum of Australia in 1985.

Message: «Ngiyambaa and Wiradjuri people are summoned to meet at a ceremonial ground for a young men’s initiation ceremony. All participants will be expected to arrive at the full moon, three moons hence. The Wiradjuri group will set out earlier in order to cover a longer distance. The Ngiyambaa group being closer will set out later and arrive a the same point at the same time.»

Creator of Object: Unknown

Date Created: 1931

Notes on date created: terminus ante quem

Item type: message stick in a collection

Subtype: traditional

State/Territory: NSW

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Ngiyambaa Austlang: D22 - NGIYAMPAA / NGEMPA Glottolog: wang1291

Linguistic area 2: Chirila: Wiradjuri Austlang: D10 - Wiradjuri Glottolog: wira1262

Notes on linguistic areas: The message stick is associated with the "Mulga and Lachlan" tribes in New South Wales. Elsewhere, Edmund Milne associates the Mulga tribe with Coronga Peak (see NMA object 1985.0059.0051), Yallock (see 1985.0059.0289), Cobar (see 1985.0059.0100) and Byrock (1985.0059.0333). On this basis the best approximation would be Ngiyambaa for the Mulga tribe. Using John Oxley's journal of 1820, Milne sought out the desecrated burial site of a Lachlan 'chief' at 33°04'08.7"S 146°47'20.5"E, a site termed 'King's Grave' by the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage. Accordingly, 'Lachlan' most likely refers to Wiradjuri.

Semantic domains: sd_ceremony_law

Dimension 1: 85mm Dimension 2: 20mm

Materials: wood

Source types: museum collection

Institution/Holder file: The National Museum of Australia object identifier: 1985.0059.0398

Collector: Edmund Milne collection Date acquired by donor (Australian Institute of Anatomy) 1931

Coordinates: 30°44'9.301200"S,146°19'39.799200"E  (-30.735917, 146.327722)

Media copyright: The National Museum of Australia

Notes on coordinates: For Ngiyambaa, the default Google coordinates for Mulga creek are 30°44'09.3"S 146°19'39.8"E, these happen lie between Byrock and Cobar. For siting Lachlan use 33°04'08.7"S 146°47'20.5"E (King's Grave)

URL institution: http://collectionsearch.nma.gov.au/ce/message%20stick?&object=10754

IRN: 10754

Notes: Regarding the yellow card, the NMA notes that the drawing is not an accessioned collection object but was taped to the back of the old AIA (Australian Institute of Anatomy) index card for this object. For this reason it is not to be reproduced.

Media Files:

Data Entry: Olena Tykhostup, Piers Kelly