SAM_A_60352

Title: A message stick from Northern Territory held in the South Australian Museum

Description: Wooden, incised message stick from the South Australian Museum

Date Created: 1948

Notes on date created: Year of American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land

Item type: message stick in a collection

Subtype: traditional_context

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. Linguistic area is inferred from Yirrkala

Cultural region: TopEnd_arnhem_east

Materials: wood

Sources:

Charles P Mountford, 'Records of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land, 1, Art, Myth and Symbolism' (Carlton: Melbourne University Press, 1956).

Source types: museum collection

Date collected: Date registered: 25. Feb 1970

Institution/Holder file: The South Australian Museum object identifier: A-60352

Collector: Purchased from: 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: SAM register: "'Arnhemland, Art, Myth and Symbolism', p 474CD. Coll. CPM" 11.02.2026 PK: Previously CPM1956P474F68_CD AR?: On page 471 of 'Art, Myth and Symbolism', Mountford writes that Fig 68C, D was one of three unidentified sticks from Yirrkala that were "included to indicate additional designs employed on the message stick of that locality." Figure designed by Jean Truran

Media Files:

Data Entry: Olena Tykhostup, Piers Kelly, Alexandra Roginski, Nitzan Rotman