We were sent this “Thingie from Australia” awhile ago. It is a wooden stick with a ball of twine at one end, and a pointed end. It was found with a chunk of wax which suggests it has a Batik connection.

Rudolf Smend, the expert on all things Batik, came up with this chart showing that it was indeed a kind of primitive tjanting tool to put wax onto cloth, and that the ball of twine acted as a receptacle to hold the wax after the “Thingie” was dipped in hot wax.