The Australian Message Stick Database has been enriched by the generosity of private collectors, or members of the public who have have message sticks at home, some of which have been handed down within families.
If you have a message stick in your care we would be very grateful if you could share photographs of all sides, documentation (if it exists) and your own personal recollections. We would love to include it in the database where it might be crossreferenced with other artefacts and placed in its cultural, geographic and historical context. More details about the project can be found here.
One of the greatest challenges with the trade in artefacts is that it creates weak points in the chain of knowledge transmission. Stories are forgotten, or not passed on, documents are lost, and auction houses often maintain a policy of client confidentiality meaning that previous owners cannot be identified.
For all these reasons we would love to hear from you directly. Please contact the project here.
See also our ‘Statement for collecting institutions‘ and ‘Statement for First Nations communities‘.