The primary aim of the Australian Message Stick Project is to establish the provenance of artefacts in Australian and overseas collections. As such the parameters of consultation are determined by the outcomes of research.
How we determine the most relevant consultants
Establishing the correct organisation or individual to consult with is key. In the best case scenario we hope to identify the individual who made the message stick and if they are no longer living, to find their descendants or any other surviving kin. If living descendants can be determined with good evidence, no other consultants are required.
As such our process is primarily kin-based through modes of interaction that are respectful for Aboriginal communities. We do not go straight to the ‘big’ people in a community but prefer to work through established networks of belonging, including any of our existing relationships wherever these are available.
(This is a similar methodology to message stick communication itself – the first approach is indirect, through an intermediary with a recognised connection to the recipient. This paves the way for a more direct interaction to take place later if original the communication is successful.)
In the event that the creator cannot be identified through our research we look for individuals who have had a close connection to the message stick in its original context. They may have received it, or carried it or been the subject of the original communication.
In cases where there are no identifiable individuals we try to determine where the message stick was made and where it travelled. In these situations we look for landmarks in the documentation and using various resources try to identify the traditional Country or Countries that the message stick may have passed through. Sometimes message sticks travelled short distances between two clan estates inside a single Country. At other times they crossed the borders of two, three or even four Countries. Another way of identifying the Country is with the help of linguistic information in the records that might point us to the relevant language or languages.
To determine the best consultants we approach representative cultural organisations of these Countries or languages and often request that discussion of message stick be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. If members wish to proceed with consultation we ask if we can attend the following meeting, bringing images and records to facilitate that discussion.
What consultation looks like
When we have made contact with the most relevant consultant community, the first step involves repatriation of knowledge. If we have come across knowledge of the message stick (its meaning, its history) that has been alienated from descendants we seek to redirect that knowledge back to the community. In the first instance this might involve handing over stories about the message stick that have come from the ancestors via historical records. Copies of these records, including photographs and sketches of message sticks, might also be supplied at this stage.
At this point we will be interested to understand what knowledge is situated outside the historical records that we have been working from. For example, communities may hold memories of events connected to the message stick. They may also reject historical framings and wish to reinterpret or expand the understanding of the object. A question that we often ask in these circumstances is: “What would you want your children or grandchildren to know about this message stick? And what would you want others to understand about it, including people overseas?”.
If the object has survived in a collecting institution we ask whether there is desire within the community to access it or to repatriate it. In the event that this is desired we connect communities to the relevant staff at that institution and let the dialogue proceed from there. See our full repatriation policy here. Note that repatriation is not a goal of consultation though it may sometimes be an eventual outcome of it.