SAM_A_47145

Title: A message stick sent to the catfish totemic group, indicating that the final pukamuni ceremonies would take place in about twenty days, Tiwi Islands

Description: Mountford (1958, p24): "Toward the end of this series of ilanias, the "workers" announced that they had finished cutting the poles. The leader, the alouwia, hearing this, gave permission for the poles to be "cooked", i.e., burnt in a fire of blazing boughs, to provide a black ground on which to paint the designs. The leader also ordered that the purunkitas (message sticks, Figs. 5, 6, 7), be sent out to the various totemic groups. These sticks intimated that the final pukamuni ceremonies would take place in about twenty days." Mountford (1958, p 104): "Fig. 5D illustrates a message stick sent to the catfish totemic group of Pirilou on the Goose Creek swamps, central Melville Island. The middle line is the Goose Creek, a (lower) being the salt-water section, and b (upper), the fresh-water. The transverse lines, c, c, etc., are subsidiary mangrove creeks, and d, d, etc., the freshwater lagoons or backwaters of the Goose Creek swamps. Ate, e, etc., are mangrove trees on· the shore of the salt-water stream, a; and f, f, etc., living paper-bark, and g, g, dead paper­bark trees in the freshwater lagoons." Register says: "Message stick, wooden. Locality: Melville Island. How acquired: Coll. From Whom acquired: C. P. Mountford. Mr Mountford's date: 5.9.54. n.n. punundjiti. Abbreviated remarks from Mr. Mountford's note books: Sent to Pirolou Totem centre on Goose Creek. Topographical"

Message: Mountford (1958, p24): "Toward the end of this series of ilanias, the "workers" announced that they had finished cutting the poles. The leader, the alouwia, hearing this, gave permission for the poles to be "cooked", i.e., burnt in a fire of blazing boughs, to provide a black ground on which to paint the designs. The leader also ordered that the purunkitas (message sticks, Figs. 5, 6, 7), be sent out to the various totemic groups. These sticks intimated that the final pukamuni ceremonies would take place in about twenty days." Mountford (1958, p104): "The middle line is the Goose Creek, a (lower) being the salt-water section, and b (upper), the fresh-water. The transverse lines, c, c, etc., are subsidiary mangrove creeks, and d, d, etc., the freshwater lagoons or backwaters of the Goose Creek swamps. At e, e, etc., are mangrove trees on· the shore of the salt-water stream, a; and f, f, etc., living paper-bark, and g, g, dead paper­bark trees in the freshwater lagoons."

Date Created: 1954

Notes on date created: 1954-09-05

Item type: message stick in a collection

Subtype: traditional

State/Territory: NT

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Tiwi Austlang: N20 - Tiwi Glottolog: tiwi1244

Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is Melville Island, Northern Territory, Australia The message stick is associated with catfish totemic group of Pirilou on the Goose Creek swamps, central Melville Island. Cannot find either Pirilou or Goose Creek swamps on any maps. Tiwi is the affiliation provided by the South Australian Museum in the field "Name: (Cultural Associations) LANGUAGE"

Cultural region: TopEnd_tiwi

Term for 'message stick' (or related) in language: purunkita

Sources:

Charles P. Mountford (1958). The Tiwi: their Art Myth and Ceremony. London Phoenix Melbourne: Georgian House.

Source types: museum collection

Date collected: Date registered: 15. Jan 1955

Institution/Holder file: The South Australian Museum object identifier: A-47145

Collector: Collected by: Mountford, Charles P.

Coordinates: 11°27'4.298400"S,131°02'8.199600"E  (-11.451194, 131.035611)

Media copyright: The South Australian Museum

Notes on coordinates: Melville island (approximate centre, on Jessie River)

Notes: Merged with CPM1958P104F5D which is now deleted AR: Checked against original SAM register. No new information added.

Media Files:

Data Entry: Julia Bespamyatnykh, Olena Tykhostup, Piers Kelly, Alexandra Roginski