UQAM7780

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

Description: Message stick. Physical Description: Long rectangular shape, slightly curved edges. Medium hardwood - unsure of original colour. Painted with white, brown and orange paint. Geometric etchings on both the main faces. One contains 10 vertical lines at each end, which are filled/coloured with a red paint. There are four vertical lines etched in the middle of this face with one vertical line intersecting them through the middle (these are also coloured red). On the other side is a zig zag pattern and 9 vertical lines etched into the wood which are red.

Message: The marks on these two sticks [7779-7780], which also come from Mornington Island, were interpreted to me by the natives, who gave them. They indicated a declaration of war and were carried by the messengers on Sydney Island. The blame for very heavy rain was the complaint. [handwritten note in source file, Belcher.]

Item type: message stick in a collection

Subtype: traditional

State/Territory: QLD

Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is Mornington Island, Gulf region, Queensland, Australia

Dimension 1: 195mm Dimension 2: 25mm

Materials: wood

Source types: museum collection

Date collected: Unknown

Institution/Holder file: The University of Queensland Anthropology Museum object identifier: 7780

Collector: Collected and donated by: Reverend Douglas Belcher

Coordinates: 16°30'56.498400"S,139°24'18.201600"E  (-16.515694, 139.405056)

Media copyright: The University of Queensland Anthropology Museum

Notes on coordinates: Coordinates for Mornington Island, Queensland, per Google maps

URL institution: https://catalogue.anthropologymuseum.uq.edu.au/?record=ecatalogue.7780

Notes: UQ Anthropology Museum website: "See wrapping 7081 (?). "The marks on these two sticks [7779-7780], which also come from Mornington Island, were interpreted to me by the natives, who gave them. They indicated a declaration of war and were carried by the messengers on Sydney Island. The blame for very heavy rain was the complaint." [handwritten note in source file, Belcher.]"

Data Entry: Nitzan Rotman

Related Entries: UQAM7779