UQAM484

Title: A message stick held in the University of Queensland Anthropology Museum

Description: Message stick. Physical Description: The object is a medium hardwood of a light brown colour and is long and cylindrical in shape. The edges at the ends are rounded. Horizontal lines and zig zag etchings appear all over the object. At the two ends and middle is an etching that goes all the way around the object (a circle/ ring). The patterns appear to have been burned as there are burn marks apparent. Has roper river written in white on the message stick.

Item type: message stick in a collection

State/Territory: NT

Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is Roper River, Roper - McArthur region, Northern Territory, Australia, Australia

Dimension 1: 195mm Dimension 2: 15mm

Materials: wood

Source types: museum collection

Date collected: Donated: 1948

Institution/Holder file: The University of Queensland Anthropology Museum object identifier: 484

Collector: Unrecorded

Coordinates: 14°44'8.800800"S,134°43'43.600800"E  (-14.735778, 134.728778)

Media copyright: The University of Queensland Anthropology Museum

Notes on coordinates: An approximate location on the Roper River, near Ngukurr (Roper River Mission), NT, per Google maps

URL institution: https://catalogue.anthropologymuseum.uq.edu.au/?record=ecatalogue.484

Notes: UQ Anthropology Museum website: "The Foundation Donation comprises the items from L. P. Winterbotham's personal collection, which were donated to the University of Queensland in 1948 and form the basis of the Anthropology Museum." 21.3.25 NR - As more items in the UQ Anthropology Museum that have been associated with the Roper River were labeled as donated by the Roper River Mission, it could be the donor of this item as well.

Data Entry: Nitzan Rotman