amsd_01889
Title: Term for 'message stick' in Waanyi
Description: Original source gloss (Laughren 2025): diwurrurru noun. letter stick, message stick. Mudamudajibi yalu jibana. Windijbi nyulu nanangkanyi kundaanyi, diwurrurru-anyi. Windijbi nyulu manii. They wrapped (it) in paperbark. He gave (him) that piece of wood, that message stick to him. He handed it (to him). [RS2005-03] Also pronounced as: diwurruwurru.
Date Created: 2025
Item type: lexical item
Term for 'message stick' (or related) in language: diwurrurru
Source types: book
Notes: 16.06.2025 PK: Mary Laughren shared draft of dictionary with PK 16.06.2025:PK to ML "Thank you so much Mary! The example sentence is very interesting:
Mudamudajibi yalu jibana. Windijbi nyulu nanangkanyi kundaanyi, diwurrurru-anyi. Windijbi nyulu manii. 'They wrapped (it) in paperbark. He gave (him) that piece of wood, that message stick to him. He handed it (to him)'.
The objects discovered at Message Stick Cave were also wrapped in paperbark. Sometimes this sort of thing indicates a restriction – the object cannot be seen. But in other cases, message sticks were wrapped in paperbark simply to carry them and even to make them more visible.
Below is an example of message-stick-carrying device from the National Museum. It was apparently designed to hold a message stick up in order to be seen, and for the messenger's protected status to be assured. Ordinary paper-and-pen letters could also be carried in this way.
Do you happen to know what the Waanyi message stick tradition is? Are there restrictions on seeing the objects? Or is the paperbark more like an envelope?
Many thanks again, Piers
[16.06.2025]: Hi Piers,
I don't really know much about the role of message sticks among Waanyi people. I got the impression from Roy Seccin that they were 'open' objects used to convey information and that they were wrapped up in paperbark. He didn't say why they were wrapped up, and I didn't ask. In the desert people wrapped up stone knives for protection for the objects and also those carrying them.
John Dymock also recorded this word being used for a 'letter'.
Same word in Garrwa.
I've had a further look at my notes following on from the example in the dictionary. Roy explains that they hand the wrapped up message stick to a person to take to where other designated people are —Roy says that the stick is handed to old people who look at it and know what it means. They then gather up their things, specifically weapons and head off to meet up with others —they gather to fight against other people.
I recorded this in March 2005.
It seems odd that information would be sent via a message stick when it could have been delivered orally by the carrier. This makes me think that only some people, e.g., men who had learned to read the symbols as part of male initiation would be able to interpret them (hence the 'old men' (wululuku) in Roy's account. However this is speculation on my part.
Cheers, Mary
Media Files:
Data Entry: Piers Kelly