Melanesian spear
| Melanesian spear | |
|---|---|
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| Information | |
| Weapon type: | Throwing weapon, spear |
| Use: | weapon |
| Region of origin / author: |
Fiji , Tonga , ethnic groups of the Fiji and Tonga Islands |
| Distribution: | Melanesia |
| Overall length: | approx. 329 cm |
| Blade width: | about 3.8 cm |
| Handle: | Wood |
| Lists on the subject | |
A Melanesian spear is a throwing weapon found in Melanesia . A Melanesian spear is not a fixed term in ethnographic material science. Spears were made in many versions in the Melanesian Islands.
Example Fiji / Tonga
The spear described here from the collection of the Pitt Rivers Museum comes from the Fiji or Tonga Islands . These spears are made of wood and are usually equipped with an extremely large number of barbs . The bright decorative elements in the shaft sections consist of clam shells. There are versions that are equipped with bony tips. These spears are intended to immediately incapacitate the enemy, because the many barbs cause very serious injuries to the internal organs when pulled out. In contrast to spears or lances with a smooth metal blade, these spears do not cut the tissue, they tear it. This results in very high blood loss and immediate incapacity to fight. Spears of this type are rarely found in collections. The spear on display at the Pitt Rivers Museum was brought back by James Cook from one of his trips (around 1770). The versions of these spears from Fiji and Tonga are so similar that a more precise determination of their origin is not possible.
Another species of spear from this region from the northwestern Bismarck Archipelago is the Melanesian obsidian spear .
literature
- Joseph C. Furnas: Anatomy of Paradise. Hawaii and the Islands of the South Seas . Furnas Press, New York 2008, ISBN 978-1-4437-2767-9 (reprint of the New York 1948 edition).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Melanesian Spear in the Pitt Rivers Museum (accessed October 11, 2012)