The Collaborative International Dictionary
Message stick \Mes"sage stick\ A stick, carved with lines and dots, used, esp. by Australian aborigines, to convey information.
Wiktionary
alt. (context Australia English) A piece of wood, etched with angular lines and dots, traditionally used by Australian aborigines to communicate messages between different clans and language groups. n. (context Australia English) A piece of wood, etched with angular lines and dots, traditionally used by Australian aborigines to communicate messages between different clans and language groups.
Wikipedia
Message Stick is an Australian television series about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lifestyles, culture and issues. It began screening in 1999 on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It features features profile stories, interviews, video clips, short films and cooking segments.
The current presenter is Miriam Corowa. Past presenters include Rachael Maza, Kelrick Martin, Deborah Mailman, Aden Ridgeway and Trisha Morton-Thomas.
Usage examples of "message stick".
An hour later they found a message stick planted along the trail, the raw bark at its tip peeled back in thin strips and twisted into curlicues of local significance.
I had been dispatched to the upper camp with a message stick when the commotion came from back down across the plain.