War shield ·  Papua New Guinea - East Sepik, Wogumas/Kubkain · ID: 3041307

Description

heavy hardwood called “wab”, brown patina, small remains of red and white pigment, rectangular, relatively tall and narrow with a central vertical ridgeline, just the upper third carved in low relief, featuring a face with “smiling” mouth and concentrical eyes, surrounded by dentates and spirals, the lower area bare, four drilled holes for attachment of handle, traces of fighting(?), slightly dam., minor missing parts, abrasion of paint;
the pigments used were ochres and charcoal, chewed with ginger root and the dried testicles of the cuscus, the mixture of paint and magic ingredients being spat into a half coconut-shell cup and then applied with brushes of grass.
Because of their size, and even more because of their weight, these shields impose a certain lack of mobility. Therefore the men took them along only for fights that were announced beforehand, in which both parties stood opposite each other in long rows, or else on headhunting expeditions in canoes. They were left at home if a sudden raid was planned.

Comparing literature

Beran, Harry & Barry Craig (ed.), Shields of Melanesia, Honolulu 2005, p. 86