SAM_A_15401

Title: A message stick held in the South Australian Museum

Description: Message stick from the South Australian Museum

Message: «help»

Date Created: 1929

Item type: message stick in a collection

Subtype: traditional

Source types: museum collection

Date collected: Acquisition Date: 03. Oct 1929

Institution/Holder file: The South Australian Museum object identifier: A-15401

Collector: Donated by: estate of Birks, L.N.

Media copyright: The South Australian Museum

Notes: 18.10.23 NR: According to SAM original register - associated label "calling for help" and "Presented H.m.a.s arunta 6-6-42" (HMAS Arunta is a Tribal Class destroyer, built at Cockatoo Dockyard during World War II. It was commissioned on 30 March 1942 under the command of Commander James C Morrow DSO RAN). This above remarks are marked for the following records: 15401, 15402, 15403. 23.1023 PK: This article from Royal Australian Navy News (http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article267311393) indicates that the message sticks were transferred from Arunta I to Arunta II in 1998. "A number of artefacts passed on from HMAS Arunta 1, including message sticks with traditional symbology should be carefully examined to determine whether it was appropriate for the ship to retain them". Note that these message sticks are of unknown provenance and thus the interpretations of Arrernte elders might not be appropriate. Message sticks are not a Central Australian technology but the term 'message stick' has been misapplied to refer to tjurungas. For details on the collector, see Terry, Michael. 1930. "A Journey Through the North-West of Central Australia in 1928." The Geographical Journal 75 (3):218-222.

Media Files:

Data Entry: Nitzan Rotman, Piers Kelly

Related Entries: SAM_A_15402, SAM_A_15403