Trobriand war shield
| Trobriand war shield | |
|---|---|
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| Information | |
| Weapon type: | Protective weapon |
| Designations: | Trobriand war shield, Trobriand war shield |
| Use: | weapon |
| Region of origin / author: |
Trobriand Islands , ethnic groups from Papua New Guinea |
| Distribution: | Papua New Guinea |
| Handle: | Wood |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Trobriand War Shield is a protective weapon of the Trobriand Islands , Papua New Guinea .
description
The Trobriand war shield is made of wood and has a convex-oval shape. On the back there is a handle made of double plant cane, which is painted red. The front is decorated with traditional paintings in curvilinear patterns. Natural pigments are used as colors , in the locally used colors red, white and black.
The meaning of these paintings is controversial, some researchers suspect that it is a local, mythological figure of a flying witch ( Papuan languages Mulukuausi ). Others relate the representation to an image of human intercourse , or to representations of animals. The symbols are similar for all known shields, but never the same.
These shields were reserved exclusively for honored, experienced warriors, with other warriors these shields were painted black or white. As with most shields in this region, they were designed to give the wearer supernatural powers and protection. Trobriand warriors gave these shields their own names.
literature
- Patrick Glass: The Trobriand Code: An Interpretation of Trobriand War Shield Designs. In: Anthropos , Volume 81, Issue 1/3, 1986, pp. 47-63 ( JSTOR 40462024 ).
- Philip Collins Gifford, Trait origins in Trobriand war-shields: the uncommon selection of an image cluster . American Museum of Natural History, 1996. ( Anthropological papers of the American Museum of Natural History. 79) ISSN 0065-9452 .
- Harry Beran , Barry Craig (Eds.): Shields of Melanesia. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii 2005, ISBN 978-0-8248-2732-8 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Trobriand war shield in the Pitt Rivers Museum , inventory no. 1893.68.1 , accessed January 7, 2012
- ^ Trobriand war shield of a chief in the British Museum, London ( Memento of December 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), English, accessed on January 7, 2012