Message Stick
The message stick is a carved piece of wood sent between Aboriginal groups to carry news and to prove the authority of the messenger who carries it. The marks cut and painted on the surface record something of the message, the sender's clan and the places or groups concerned, and the stick is accepted as a sign that the bearer speaks with the consent of the people who sent them. The marks are not writing in the modern sense, but they carry meaning within the system of the sender and receiver, and the practice of carrying such sticks is recorded from many parts of Australia. The messenger is gr