SAM_A_44063

Title: A message stick held in the South Australian Museum

Description: Message stick from the South Australian Museum

Date Created: 1902

Notes on date created: According to the original register: "1902" (but could be a mistake as 1902 is listed for the A-3818 line and not for the A-3819 to A-3829 lines, before separating each record to show only one item.

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 a associated with a linguistic area. Listed as "Aust no locality" in the original register.

Source types: museum collection

Institution/Holder file: The South Australian Museum object identifier: A-44063

Collector: Donated by: Maurice, R.T.

Media copyright: The South Australian Museum

Notes: 30.8.23 NR: According to the original register "Vide A 3829 (10 specimens) these 9 have been re-numbered, 1 remains as A 3829." See also additional info under "Reference to Papers" field re Munjena's Diary. 31.8.23 PK: Concerning Munjena's diary, see: 1902. "A PRIVATE MUSEUM." Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929), 25 November 1902, 5. Accessed 31 August 2023. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56596550, with this detail: “Aboriginal Shorthand.— One stick was of great interest to Munjena. It was his diary stick, on the occasion of the severest trip Mr. Maurice ever made, that was from Fowler's Bay to Oodnadatta, the party consisting of himself and three black boys. Munjena seemed to be able to read his shorthand, which must be a marvellous system of phraseograms, which any student of Pitman would envy, in a remarkably easy manner, notwithstanding that it was some years old.”

Media Files:

Data Entry: Olena Tykhostup, Nitzan Rotman, Piers Kelly