RHH1918P25F13

Title: Photograph of a message stick by Hamlyn-Harris (1918), and resketched M. Frank (1940)

Description: Sketch of message stick on p. 25, Fig.13, of "On messages and "Message Sticks" employed among the Queensland Aborigines" by R. Hamlyn-Harris: "This pine stick has an unusual design and is highly suggestive of white influence. The three figures on the obverse side almost suggest a flag design with six dots, but this must not be taken too seriously, since the writer is totally unaware of the motive in desgin." (p. 25) Sketch of message stick (fig. 31) on p. 345 in Maria Frank's "Botenstäbe in Australien"

Message: Mr. E. P. smith informs me that the stick was sent from a brother to his sister telling her that he had found the police. Although the arrow here is undoubtedly intended to portray the arm of the law," it should not be entirely overlooked that there was a time when a similar mark resembling the arrow was in use and had other significance (probably phallic from what I have been told)." (Hamlyn-Harris, p. 25) "The second stick (Fig. 31) comes from the Turn-off Lagoon at Burketown in Queensland. According to a report by E. P. Smith (42, p. 25) the arrows represent an "arm of the law",meaning, a police officer." (Frank p.342)

Creator of Object: Sender: "brother" Recipient: "sister" (p. 25)

Date Created: 1918

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: Yukulta Austlang: G34 - Yukulta / Ganggalidda Glottolog: gang1267

Notes on linguistic areas: The message stick is associated with Turn-off Lagoon, via Burketown The linguistic area of Turn-off Lagoon is Yukulta

Semantic domains: sd_acculturation, sd_person_brother, sd_person_police, sd_person_sister

Dimension 1: 125mm Dimension 2: 20mm

Materials: pine wood

Sources:

Frank, Maria. 1940. "Botenstäbe in Australien."

Hamlyn Harris, R. 1918. “On messages and ‘message sticks’ employed among the Queensland Aborigines.”

Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 6:13-36.

Zeitschrift für Ethnologie 72 (4/6): 328-352.

Collector: a Protector of Aboriginals, Mr. E. P. Smith (p. 25)

Coordinates: 17°52'59.998800"S,138°34'0.001200"E  (-17.883333, 138.566667)

Notes on coordinates: Absolute coordinates for Turn Off Lagoon

URL source 1: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/47577#page/57/mode/1up

Notes: PK: Hamlyn identifies the "arrow here" as representing the "arm of the law", but it is not clear what he is referring to or whether this is his own speculation or that of Smith. The two repeated chevrons on the obverse, however, are a plausible representation of police lapels. See, for example, Pitjantjatjara word walkatjara (‘person with a design on their body’) referring to both a ‘policeman’ and ‘tyre tread’).

Media Files:

Data Entry: Julia Bespamyatnykh, Piers Kelly