1: The war shields of the Arawe, on the southern coast of New Britain, are always made of three equally long, straight wooden planks, convex on the front and firmly held together by means of four cords of rattan reeds. The front of Arawe shields always features characteristic reliefs with double-spiral motifs, black with a red centre (eye symbols?), separated by an accentuated middle axis. The smooth backside is painted. The present Arawe war shield displays two symmetrical double-spirals on the front, in the relief of the central middlefield. In either of the sections above and below are two individual double-spirals, separated by horizontal relief bands with triangular notches. The individual parts of the front relief are accentuated by means of high-contrast colouring, with black, red and white paints derived from natural colours. The smooth backside is painted black and red with volutes, bands, hatchings and grids. In the middle of the backside a vertical handle is carved out of the shield board. This Arawe shield shows good usage patina (especially on the handle!). Only minor age-damage. H: 130 cm, W: 28 cm.
2: With four arrows of the Arawe, belonging to the shield. With long reed shafts and arrowheads carved from bamboo. The arrowheads are attached to the shafts by means of bast and black tree resin. L: c. 142 cm to 160 cm.
3: A special rarity is the single, thin black arrow with thick, white-brown feathers at the lower end. This arrow is an unusually long blowpipe dart of the Kaulung, who live in the south central part of the Island of New Britain and hunt with blowpipes. The intense decoration of small feathers at the lower end of the arrow serves as a ‘stopper’ when using the blowpipe. L: 120 cm.
All 6 objects: first half of the 20th century. (ME)

Provenance: German private collection.

Lit.: ‘Shields. From the Collections of the Barbier-Müller-Museum’ by Benitez & Barbier, ill. 89; ‘Ozeanische Kunst’ by Anthony J. P. Meyer, ill. 410.