Pestels & Mortars
Wessel Islands Pestles & Mortars
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SE Asian Ulekan & Cobek
They were found in the Wessel Islands by James Douglas McQueen, ashore from a RAN Patrol Boat in the mid-1970's - in a sand dune - beside a Tamarind tree skittled in a storm. Macassans often left boiling pots beneath Tamarinds but no such pestle and mortar has ever been found in Australia. It is proposed that when funds become available the carbon residue be C14 dated and the residue in the fabric also be examined as much can be learned. If some antiquity is indicated then XRD may reveal the origin of the stone. Typologically they are SE Asian, Stone Mortar & Pestle (Ulekan & Cobek) widely used throughout Indonesia and Thailand.
The finder was lost at sea and it is the wish of his family that they be researched and placed on permanent display in the Northern Territory. It is anticipated that they may be displayed with other Territory Treasures such as the Boustead Jar and the Doukas Dundee Swivel Gun at the up-coming lecture and artefacts roadshow at MAGNT on 15th July.
The finder was lost at sea and it is the wish of his family that they be researched and placed on permanent display in the Northern Territory. It is anticipated that they may be displayed with other Territory Treasures such as the Boustead Jar and the Doukas Dundee Swivel Gun at the up-coming lecture and artefacts roadshow at MAGNT on 15th July.
It is not possible to say much about the items except that they are well made - the larger one is composed of a more robust fabric as is seen from the pestles below, even though the smaller might be expected to perform the finer processing. The cavities may yield useful contents for analysis. The convex cheeks of the pestles conform sympathetically to the concave drift of their respective mortars and a close symmetry has been achieved. There is evidence of considerable wear through use by a right-handed person. It is suggested that the deep & crude incisions to the base of both mortars is an end-user modification for maritime conditions where the vagrancy of large stone objects is discouraged.
The images below show the ABC TV coverage of the donation of the mortaria to MAGNT in 22 June 2016 in the Peter Spillett Library at the museum.
The explicit conditions attached to this donation to MAGNT were the dying wishes of the donor. That the mortaria would be researched, the residue analysed and the items placed on public display attributed to his late brother James McQueen - the finder. Despite 'on camera' assurances and handshakes none of the undertakings has been fulfilled as of April 2020.
