An Aborigine woman's digging stick Warburton

An Aborigine woman's digging stick

Warburton, Western Australia

wood, with a pointed end, the other end with a small incised patch and inscribed with an arrow pointing to the patch 'NGAMIRI' MARK OF MAWAMBI, MANTJINTJA DIALECT, WARBURTON R.A, 'WANNA' WOMANS 'MINMA' DIGGING STICK. A SPOUSE IS CALLED A "MINMA WANNATARA" MEANS - WOMAN, DIGGING STICK HAVING. OF EURO MANTJINTJA 16.9.1970,

112cm long,

and an Aborigine digging / message stick, with a faceted end and decorated bands and tooth-like engraving, 85.5cm long. (2)

Provenance

The second stick was apparently made from a long spear of Damper the Medicine Man and the engraving refers to the Forrest River Massacre of 1926.