SAM_A_47671

Title: A message stick from Mungarui in Yirrkala to Bessie Mountford requesting comb, calico, trousers and other items for him and family

Description: Message stick from the South Australian Museum, wooden, incised AR: SAM register, "Message from Mungarui to Mrs CP Mountford requesting comb, calico, trousers etc for him and family".

Message: «Bring a comb, calico, trousers for me and family»

From: Munggurrawuy Yunupingu in Yirrkala

To: Bessie Mountford

SAM register: "Message from Mungarui to Mrs CP Mountford requesting comb, calico, trousers etc for him and family".

Creator of Object: sender: Munggurrawuy Yunupingu in Yirrkala recipient: Bessie Mountford

Date Created: 1948 (accessioned 1952)

Notes on date created: Year of American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land – 1948 AR: Date of Charles Mountford note in SAM register – 7 July 1952. This aligns with the date of Mountford's return visit to Yirrkala in 1952.

Item type: message stick in a collection

Subtype: traditional

State/Territory: NT

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Dhangu Austlang: N192 - Dhangu Glottolog: dhan1270

Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is Yirrkala, Northern Territory, Australia

Cultural region: TopEnd_arnhem_east

Source types: museum collection

Institution/Holder file: The South Australian Museum object identifier: A-47671

Collector: Mountford, Charles P.

Coordinates: 12°15'10.000800"S,136°53'30.001200"E  (-12.252778, 136.891667)

Media copyright: The South Australian Museum

Notes on coordinates: Absolute coordinates for Yirrkala

Notes: AR: Look up Bessie Mountford’s diary, at the SLSA in the Mountford-Sheard collection. 12.02.2026 PK: In Records, Mungarui is described on on p293 as Amalatja's son. On this basis I assume it is Munggurrawuy Yunupingu, per https://www.artlink.com.au/articles/2492/australian-icons--twenty-artists-from-the-collection/

Media Files:

Data Entry: Olena Tykhostup, Piers Kelly, Alexandra Roginski