RMV4090_35

Title: A message stick held in the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde

Description: Briefstok RMV Catalogue: "Houten briefstok, met erin uitgesneden diagonalen, vervaardigd door Madi (Rose River, dec. 1964). Gemaakt van ana-jal hout. Volgens de informatie zouden de elkaar kruisende diagonalen betrekking hebben op de krokodil (na-laragula), totem van de Balamumu groep van Gundu, en tevens belangrijk voor het Rul-ritueel van de Balamumu stam. Madi noemt de krokodil "moeder" omdat zijn moeder uit de Balamumu clan van Gundo afkomstig was." Translation (Annemarie Vervek): "Wooden letter stick, with in it cut-out diagonals, manufactured by Madi (Rose River, Dec. 1964). Made of ana-jal wood. According to the information the intersecting diagonals would involve the crocodile na-laragula), totem of the Balamumu group of Gundu, and is also important for the Rul-ritual of the Balamumu tribe. Madi calls the crocodile "mother" because his mother belonged to the clan Balamumu tribe of Gundo. Original Dutch card file from RMV (RMV4090_35-IK_4090-35-1.JPG): "Korte aanduiding: Houten breifstok, met erin uitgesneden diagonalen, vervaordigd door Madi (Rose River, dec. 1964) Beschrijving: Gemaakt van ana-jal hout. Volgens mijn informatie zouden de elkaar kru sende diagonalen betrekkring hebben op de krokodil (na-laragula), totem van de Balamumu groen van Gundu, en tevens belangrijk voor het Rul-ritueel van de Balamumu stam. De informatie is echter onbetrouwvaar, want een breifstokje met een der alijke versiering, die in Canberra is achterge-bleven (Oud no. 69) zou juist een Gunabibi breifstok zijn. In ieder geval noemt Madi de krokodil "moeder" omdat ziyn moeder uit de Balamumu clan van Gundu aftkomstig was. Het briefstoje is alhier op het museum in de droogstoof geweest. Herkomst: Gebied van de Nunggubuju, Rose River, ZO Arnhem Land Verwerving: Aankoop voor het Museum door Dr. A. C. van der Leeden in dec. 1964"

Message: no message can be determined though the motifs are glossed

Date Created: 1964

Notes on date created: terminus ante quem;1964-12

Item type: message stick in a collection

Subtype: traditional

State/Territory: NT

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Wubuy Austlang: N128 - Wubuy / Nunggubuyu Glottolog: nung1290

Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is Rose River culture : Nunggubuyu origin : Rose River

Cultural region: TopEnd_arnhem_east

Materials: wood

Source types: museum collection

Institution/Holder file: Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde object identifier: RMV 4090-35

Collector: Dr. A. C. van der Leeden

Coordinates: 13°50'14.398800"S,135°50'58.498800"E  (-13.837333, 135.849583)

Media copyright: Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde

Notes on coordinates: Chirila centroid coordinates for Wubuy

URL institution: https://volkenkunde.nl/collections/record.aspx?so=H4sIAAAAAAAEAO29B2AcSZYlJi9tynt_SvVK1-B0oQiAYBMk2JBAEOzBiM3mkuwdaUcjKasqgcplVmVdZhZAzO2dvPfee--999577733ujudTif33_8_XGZkAWz2zkrayZ4hgKrIHz9-fB8_In6NX_PX-DV-jf-bHvzE8xv9WvTPt49Xq9__pJrl40l-MX07zYtR-pN53RTV8rOdMf83Sk_WZbuu88-W-bqts3KUvlxPymL6e-XXb6q3-fKz5bosf12A_Y1e51k9nX85-el82v5W9MFv-Ps3_MmbvF78xr__uimWF_Jl8xvKX0-q6m3zm8jvx9SwuMzNV1_ksyLTl54WF8VqPfnN5a-TqiwJBuHY_Hq__3lRN-1vpP08K_Jy9uv-_pdFfvUb__6rOr8sqnWDv37d37-p6vbX12a_-e_fVqvP8-qizs6L_AUN_zfFJzzOdW3_frZeUi_8_W-CvwV1-XNaLVZl_k4G_Bv-_u08b-T334i-sugZWv-avw49vyY9v_av_Wv_mvz8Br_l2bLN62VWNp_8JCH45nqVN5iRoc9_K_f5axrKl_WMpqn7hRCbXsEXf8iv-fq6afPF2KPX-PN8mdfFdPy8aNo_YPd73zvxxyEDHKXfFFN8__u3wuF1ARzeEAmzdb1uQOBvEoc_8BYouO--eRpgLn69Xxtc8C2Z-_-MPvkxfPDr_h8kj7EJB9_8-pdZuc5__9__1_gNAAD__zV_NTX_P1SEf93_nX6JMkX_ZTy_7q_qtLe8Em__6_0G9M9v-uVPfjE-Pj6m_5_g56_3Y2grHz759RL3x8mv9xu6Pz7_sd-I_vix3xj__Cb0z6-DP2_FCT_L3Aia_3q_f0FYNKQQih_kv8HvfymQfp1f49f4rSOdf48n7zf4DX7sN1WqgFa_DgZ2q-H8LDP25uFEOrfD-c1-DeEo_P_XwRT9XMvIxqH8Ft2e7Th-c50WPL8-z5HRuL_ObxmZTrz162PsMo_cLEImNPux3wL__Jb0z2_8a_36v7l5hSH_Zl100P7XRfshYL_u77-k337d359kb_Fr_pqsD9g6etL16_3W9MFv8OU0z5bFP_rX_promDH4DdD4t6V_kuN1AwLSt7_h_wNlxG8szAcAAA2

Notes: This may be identical to NMA1985_0108_0023. Need to check 22.01.2026 PK: Correspondence with B.B. at University of Melbourne: [22.02.2026:] Hi Piers, I figured out which one it was (possibly more than one)ː https://amsd.clld.org/contributions/RMV4090_18#4/-13.84/135.85 which was created by a man called Maadi (listed as 'Madi' in the entry), who was the father of a woman I learned Wubuy from for while until she died about 10 years ago. Her name was Gunyibuwa Murrungun. Maadi was the leader of the Nunggubuyu, and was central in establishing the mission at Rose River (later Numbulwar) and in getting people to move back there from the Roper River mission (later Ngukurr), where they were mostly living until the 1950s. (Ginyibuwa bestowed her name on my daughter, so she's pretty special to us.) I hope you and Sally are going ok up there. At least Barnaby is still good for a laughǃ Cheers, Brett. [05.02.2026:] Thanks B! And sorry for my very late reply. There are either two or four message sticks made by Maadi, but they are listed as being simultaneously at the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands and at the NMA in Canberra. They are in the catalogues of both institutions! Here they are: https://amsd.clld.org/contributions/NMA1985_0108_0022 is probably the same as https://amsd.clld.org/contributions/RMV4090_18#4/-13.84/135.85 https://amsd.clld.org/contributions/NMA1985_0108_0023 is probably the same as https://amsd.clld.org/contributions/RMV4090_35#4/-13.84/135.85 The Rijksmuseum never got back to me, but it should be fairly easy to confirm if they are at the NMA or not. If you don't mind, I might add your comments to the notes. Piers

Media Files:

Data Entry: Julia Bespamyatnykh, Piers Kelly