“First database of Indigenous Australian message sticks”

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Daniru Jayasuriya wrote a feature on the Australian Message Stick Database for the quarterly science magazine Cosmos. “It’s not accurate to say ‘message sticks are just like Western literacy […] because they’re addressing a different kind of problem that written practice isn’t adapted for.” Kelly says we need to reevaluate beliefs about the use of … Read more

Interview on ABC South East NSW

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Lorina Barker and Piers Kelly sat down with Eddie Williams of ABC South East NSW Breakfast to discuss message sticks from New South Wales. A Ngarigo caller made contact to reveal that she had several old message sticks handed down within her family.

“Indigenous message stick database offers a new way to understand Aboriginal culture”

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Dan Holmes writes about the newly launched Australian Message Stick Database in The Mandarin, pointing out its significance for policy makers: In the context of a failing Indigenous policy environment, this might seem like low-priority research. But in the wake of the failed referendum on a voice to parliament, many leading indigenous figures have argued the loss reflects … Read more

Message Stick Project team on The First Inventors

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Australian Message Stick Project team members appeared on the groundbreaking four-part documentary series The First Inventors, simulcast by NITV (SBS) and Network 10. The relevant excerpt is below: NITV has claimed that it is their most successful original commission ever. It has been rebroadcast on Apple TV, and on BBC Select (where it is titled … Read more

Message sticks in The Conversation

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Piers Kelly and Wunyungar (Alwyn Doolan) have collaborated to write an article about message sticks for The Conversation. Wunyungar is famous for having walked 8500 kilometres carrying three message sticks for the Prime Minister. Piers and Wunyungar kept in contact between Germany and Australia during his epic walk.

Language on the Move interview

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 Ingrid Piller interviewed Piers Kelly about message stick research. You can listen to it here or on podcasting apps. Ingrid also wrote an excellent accompanying blog post: “What can Australian message sticks teach us about literacy?“ “Now imagine aliens landing on earth and starting to collect mailed letters. […] They might also miss that the artifact … Read more