The continent of Australia is home to more than 250 spoken Indigenous languages and 800 dialects. Yet, one of its linguistic cornerstones wasn’t spoken, but carved.
Known as message sticks, these flat, rounded and oblong pieces of wood were etched with ornate images on both sides that conveyed important messages and held the stories of the continent’s Aboriginal people – considered the world’s oldest continuous living culture. Message sticks are believed to be thousands of years old and were typically carried by messengers over long distances to reinforce oral histories or deliver news between Aboriginal nations or language groups.
The motifs imprinted on each stick could signify news of war, death, peace, marriage and more. For people like oral historian Dr Lorina Barker, a descendant of the Wangkumara and Muruwari Indigenous people of Australia, these message sticks carry a meaningful connection to their roots.
Many of Australia’s surviving message sticks are now encased in glass displays in places like The Australian Museum in Sydney, yet much of their information remains undecipherable by people today. According to linguistic anthropologist Piers Kelly, “Little in the way of significant new research on message sticks was published in the 20th Century”.
To decode the inscriptions, it is necessary to enlist the help of Indigenous elders, who understand depictions that may be particular to a certain group, location or idea. Without their help, future generations may lose a link to this valuable relic of their roots.
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