PM2010P45F58

Title: Sketch of a message stick by P. Memmot (1979, 2010)

Description: Sketch of four facets of one message stick on p131 of Memmott, Paul. 1979. "Lardil artifacts and shelters." Occasional Papers in Anthropology 9:107-142. and on p. 45 of "Material culture of the North Wellesley Islands" by P. Memmot.

Message: Memmott (1979, p.131): "3.1 A four-sided message stick obtained from the missionary Belcher. It announces a proposed initiation ceremony. The parallel strokes represent the various social groups to be involved. Group A are the people at the mission camp. D and E represent the Yangkal tribal group, D being those from Denham Island and E those from Forsyth Island. F and G represent the larumpenta division of the Lardil, and probably the tjirrkarampenta division. B is the campsite (next to the mission station). C shows ten boomerangs which are symbols of authority, a warning of the importance of the event. The stick itself is a piece of milled softwood."

Memmott (2010, p45) "lt announces a proposed initiation ceremony. The parallel strokes represent the various social groups to be involved. Group A are the people at the Mission camp. D and E represent the Yangkaal group, D being those from Denham Island and E those from Forsyth Island. F and G represent the larumbenda division of the Lardil, and probably the jirrkurumbenda division. B is the campsite (next to the mission station). C shows 10 boomerangs which are symbols of authority, a warning of the importance of the event."

Date Created: 2010

Notes on date created: terminus ante quem

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

Subtype: traditional

State/Territory: QLD

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Lardil Austlang: G38 - Lardil Glottolog: lard1243

Notes on linguistic areas: Lardil language

Semantic domains: sd_ceremony_law, sd_person_group, sd_place_camp, sd_skin, sd_weapon_boomerang

Sources:

Memmot, Paul. 2010. Material culture of the North Wellesley Islands. Brisbane: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, University of Queensland.

Memmott, Paul. 1979. "Lardil artifacts and shelters."

Occasional Papers in Anthropology 9:107-142.

Collector: the missionary Belcher

Coordinates: 16°32'0.960000"S,139°24'24.890400"E  (-16.5336, 139.406914)

Notes on coordinates: Chirila coordinates for Lardil

Notes: Note that 'boomerang' here is not literal boomerang but a "symbol of authority" 29.06.25 PK: Actual object is probably in UQ museum. Note that the second rougher sketch was from a photo sent to PK by Ray Kerkhove, see Endnote entry: Millard, A. 1951. Letter 18 November 1951. In Anthropological Society of Queensland records, edited by State Library of Queensland. OMFR/5/1-3. It was possibly made by Belcher.

Media Files:

Data Entry: Olena Tykhostup, Piers Kelly