| Coordinates WGS84 | 37°38'S, 145°01'E -37.63, 145.01 |
PRM1989_46_3
Title: A message stick held in the Pitt Rivers Museum, and reproduced by A.W. Howitt (1889, 1904)
Description: Message stick holder: Pitt Rivers Museum. Object description: "Notched wooden message stick with incised pattern. The marks are said not to have any meaning beyond being connected in the messengers mind with his message. [JN 05/03/2014]" Sketch of message stick fig (1) in 'Notes on Australian Message Sticks and Messengers' (Howitt 1889, pp. 330-331) and Sketch of message stick (fig. 1) on p. 696 in Howitt's 1904 "The native tribes of southeast Australia"
Message: The notches on the upper right hand side of the stick represent the sender, and other old men who join with him in the message. Those on the under side represent the recipient and the old men with him. The remainder of the stick being notched along the whole length above and below means that all the men of both localities are to be present. The markings on the flat side at the right hand are merely ornamental, as are also the crescent-shaped ends of the stick. This message is supposed to be an invitation to some people at a distance to come to a corroboree. (Howitt 1889, p. 318) "Message stick of Woiworung tribe, Victoria, to collect an assembly for corroboree. The reverse is plain. Scale one-half linear." (Howitt 1889, p. 331) "The notches on the upper end at the left hand of the stick represent the sender and other old men with him. The remainder of the stick being notched along the whole of the two sides, means that all the men of both localities are to be present. The markings on the flat side, at the lower end, are only for ornament, as are also the crescent-shaped ends of the stick. This message is an invitation to some people at a distance to come to a corrobboree." (Howitt 1904, p.702)
Creator of Object: This [Woiworung] is now all but extinct-one survivor is the intelligent old bard whose songs Dr. Torrance has recorded, and whom I have had before occasion to refer to as my authority for the customs of his people, of which he is a complete repository (1889, p316) "My informant Berak" (1889, p. 318) "Maker: William Barak ?" (PRM Catalogue)
Date Created: 1883
Notes on date created: terminus ante quem
Item type: message stick in a collection
Subtype: traditional
State/Territory: VIC
Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Woiwurrung Austlang: S36 - Woiwurrung Glottolog: woiw1237
Notes on linguistic areas: The message stick is associated with the “Woiworung tribe, Victoria” (Howitt 1889, p.331).
Semantic domains: sd_ceremony, sd_person_group, sd_person_recipient, sd_person_sender, sd_request_invitation_ceremony
Dimension 1: 140mm Dimension 2: 13mm
Materials: wood plant
Techniques: carved, incised, notched
Sources:
Source types: book chapter, journal article, museum collection
Date collected: June 1883
Institution/Holder file: Pitt Rivers Museum object identifier: 1989.46.3
Collector: Field Collector, Owner: Alfred William Howitt PRM Source: Alfred William Howitt via Edward Burnett Tylor? Acquired: Found unentered 1989. (Donated 1888.)
Coordinates: 37°38'1.017600"S,145°31.651200"E (-37.633616, 145.008792)
Media copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum
Notes on coordinates: Chirila coordinates for Woiwurrung
URL institution: http://objects.prm.ox.ac.uk/pages/PRMUID5156.html
URL source 1: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-26171094
URL source 2: http://archive.org/stream/nativetribesofso00howiuoft#page/n7/mode/2up
Notes: PRM Catalogue: "Found unentered 1989. Collector's No. 6. Notched message stick with incised pattern. Its purpose was to invite people to come to a corroboree. Groups of notches denote the senders, the recipients of the message and the fact that ALL the men are invited. [LMM?]This interpretation does not tally with notes sent from Howitt to Tylor 'the marks are said not to have any meaning beyond being connected in the messengers mind with his message'. [JN 05/03/2014] Written on object - '6. JUNE 25 '89 A B' [AH 03/04/2013] Related Documents File - Article written by A.W. Howitt entitled: 'Notes on Australian Message Sticks and Messengers' from JAI Volume XVIII 1889 [See file for full text.] [ZM 6/1/2016] Possibly made by William Barak a man who witnessed the signing of the John Batman treaty in 1835, between Batman and a group of Aboriginal elders.(see research notes). Probably number 6 in the list in the letter from Howitt to Tylor: "(6) Woi- worung message stick, the marks are said not to have any meaning beyond being connected in the messengers mind with his message. Woi-worung was the name of the tribe living above Melbourne." [JN 27/03/2013] Display history: Possibly displayed at the PRM from as early as 1888 with other examples from the Howitt collection of message-sticks (1989.46) (see photograph A23.F11.1, taken in 1995). [JC 11 1 2006] Loaned to the Crafts Council for their exhibition Codes and Messages: Lettering Today, held at the Crafts Council Gallery, Islington, London, from 30 November 1995 to 4 February 1996. [JC] Requested for loan to the First People exhibition at Bunjilaka Cultural Centre, Melbourne Museum. Loan agreed February 2013. Loan temporarily withdrawn April 2013 with possible year-long delay. [JN 27/03/2013] Publications history, trails & websites: Illustrated as figure 1 in Plate XIV (entitled 'Australian Message Sticks') opposite page 331 of 'Notes on Australian Message Sticks and Messengers', by A. W. Howitt, in Journal of the Anthropological Institute, Vol XVIII, 1889, pp. 314-332. (Copy in RDF). NB The original pencil drawings by Alfred Robinson used to produce the figures in Plate XIV are held in the PRM Manuscript Collections: Pitt Rivers Museum Papers / Box 2 / 1-3. [JC 20 9 2000, 17 6 2008] Research notes: In an email to the PRM dated 7 October 2012, from Michael Reason (Curator, History and Technology, Humanities Department, Museum Victoria) writes: 'From research carried out after one of our curators visited the Pitt Rivers Museum in 2011, we believe that it was probably made by William Barak, a man who witnessed the signing of the John Batman treaty in 1835, between Batman and a group of Aboriginal elders.' (Printout in RDF.) [JC 9 10 2012] The Australian Dictionary of Biography includes an entry for William Barak (1824-1903) that notes: He was Howitt's chief informant for central and south-west Victoria and elsewhere [for the full entry see http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/barak-william-2930]. [ZM 14/02/2013] This is probably one of the object mentioned in a letter from Howitt [Howitt 10] of the Tylor papers PRM ms collections Box 12 of June 25 1883: 'Dear Dr Tylor Your letter of the 13th May reminds me that I have not yet sent the turndun which I promised in my last letter. The reason is that I have been waiting until I could get them carefully drawn in order that I may have their versimilitudes for reference. I shall now send the following within the next two days in one or parcels [sic] as I find they may require for travel purposes (1) Murring Mudthi (bullroarer) used at Mileatom [?] and found [illegible] factory. [insert] The notch at the end represents the gap where the tooth has been knocked out [end insert] (2) Dieri -- Yuntha (Bullroarer) This was used at the Dieri ceremonies and also by me at those of the Coast Murring (3) Chepara Message stick I am not able to get an explanation of the marks. It seems probable that the existing blackfellows of the Chepara tribe (on the coast south of Brisbane) have forgotten the meaning. Mr Gibson to whom I am indebted for this stick tells me that his informant states that his father used to make these sticks but that he only knew of the meaning of the marks. (4) Dieri message token of Emu feathers. The messenger carries this and delivers the message by word of mouth (5) Narrinyeri message stick No explanation can be given of the marks. Narringyeri tribe is at the Murray River mouth (6) Woi-worung message stick. the marks are said not to have had any meaning beyond being connected in the messengers mind with his message. Woi-worung was the name of the tribe living above Melbourne. (7) Message stick used on the Diamantina River [insert] Queensland [end insert] So far as I can learn the marks are the enumeration of men who are invited to attend the details being given by the messenger. (8) Gournd[insert] i [end insert]tch mara message stick. I am told that this stick was sent with the messenger who conveyed the message by word of mouth (9) Dieri net. This net "yamma" was delivered to the Pinya (armed party) when any person was doomed to death by the Great Council of the Dieri tribe and the offender having been killed, this net was laid upon him as a sign to all concerned. Let me mention here that this Great Council was composed to the principal men of the Dieri tribe. The Heads of Murdus (Totems) Warriors, Orators, Wizards and held its meetings in secret. This great Council was supreme and different from the General Council which consisted of all the initiated men of the tribe. 10. Aaja-dura - Bullroarer. I cannot at present turn up the letter in which my correspondents gave me the name of this example. It was sent to me by the Headman of this tribe which inhabits Yorks Peninsula S.A. in return for a bullroarer which I sent to him. The old man showeed mine to my correspondent with much mystery after sending all the women away from the place These are all the contributions which I can send you this time but more will follow as soon as I can get them drawn -- I do this because I cannot yet tell whether in the work for which I am gathering materials I may or may not require illustrations of these things. This will not however in any way affect any use to which you may decide to put them. They are yours to do with as you like. If there are any other blackfellows implements which you want I shall be delighted to try and obtain them for you. [AP 05/02/2013]
Media Files:
Data Entry: Piers Kelly