Two ceremonial spears
Tiwi Islands, presumably Melville Island
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Provenance
Udo Gangl, Graz, AustriaTaille
L: 101 cm & 113 cm
L: 39.8 inch & 44.5 inch
Description
wood, red and yellow ochre, white and black pigment, flattened spear tips, one of them lance-shaped with toothed rim, the second one bipartite, painted with delicate lattice pattern, slightly dam., paint rubbed off;
such spears were only made by senior men and were symbols of their wealth and status. Such spears took considerable time to make and were used for ceremonial purposes only.