PRM1973_3_2

Title: A message stick held in the Pitt Rivers Museum

Description: Portion of branch cut flat on 2 sides. Some bark left on both edges, both of which have notches, 6 sets of 5 notches on edge, 3 sets of 5 on the other, with gaps between each set. [signed] B.M.B. [Beatrice M. Blackwood]

Date Created: 1920

Notes on date created: terminus ante quem

Item type: message stick in a collection

Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is given simply as “Australia”. It therefore cannot be associated with a linguistic area.

Dimension 1: 390mm Dimension 2: 13mm Dimension 3: 8mm

Materials: wood plant

Source types: museum collection

Institution/Holder file: Pitt Rivers Museum object identifier: 1973.3.2

Collector: Field Collector: Mr Goldsmith, by 1920 Other Owners: Kenneth Page Oakley from Mrs Goldsmith c. 1920 PRM Source: Kenneth Page Oakley

Media copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum

URL institution: http://objects.prm.ox.ac.uk/pages/PRMUID1085.html

Notes: Accession Book Entry - 1973.3 (.1 - 2) G[ift] Dr. K.P. OAKLEY, ... SUMMERTOWN, OXFORD. 1973.3.1 - 2 AUSTRALIA. [1 of] Two aboriginal message sticks given to donor c. 1920 by widow of a Mr. Goldsmith, a mining engineer who worked in Australia. Note with specimens states: "Such are carried by messengers to identify them in their office. The notches on the stick serve to aid the messenger's [insert] memory [end insert] & so ensure the accuracy of the verbal message, especially with regard to numbers." PK: No new info in PRM print-out (2019)

Media Files:

Data Entry: Julia Bespamyatnykh, Piers Kelly