| War arrows from the southwest of Papua. This type is distinctive to the headhunting cultures between the Fly River in Papua and the Digul River in Irian Jaya, such as the well-documented Marind Anim. They were acquired at various times in Sydney, so the exact provenance is unknown. They were shot from exceedingly heavy bows made from the thick walls of giant bamboo, which ranged up to 2.4 meters (8 feet) in length. The arrows themselves are long, up to around 1.7 meters in length, and most of the war arrows are heavy by comparison with those from other parts of Melanesia. Lighter arrows for long-range shooting are also used (Skinner, 1965). |
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The first measurement references the total length of the arrow, the
second describes the head length from the end of the shaft. Objects are
described from left to right.
1. has a palmwood head with two barbs and a reed shaft. (159.5 cm/44.5 cm).
2. has a cassowary claw point and a single bone barb attached to a light-colored round hardwood foreshaft painted with black (charcoal) and red (ochre) curvilinear designs. The attachments of the claw point to the foreshaft and the foreshaft to the reed shaft are thin bast covered with a mixture of lime and blood said to be from the arm of a friend of the arrow maker. This technique of manufacture, which to my knowledge is unique to this area, is described by F.E. Williams (1936). (169.1/57 cm).
3. is similar to N° 2 except it has a long bone point. It is of more recent manufacture and is much lighter. (162.5/63 cm).
4. has a multibarbed palmwood head, and the bast whipping around the top of the shaft is not covered with lime. (167.5/53 cm).
5. is a type unique to the area under consideration. It has a long bone point, then four rows of echidna (spiny anteater) quills set in lime-covered bast on a palmwood foreshaft. Two bone barbs at the end of the lime complete the ensemble of this deadly arrow. Extraction of this type of arrow without leaving quills in the body to cause infection would be virtually impossible without modern surgery. Note the band of red paint and markings on the shaft just below the lime wrapping. (163/48 cm).
6. is similar to N° 3 except for carving on the foreshaft and simpler painted designs. (165/72 cm).
7. is similar to N° 2 but has a broad bone blade at the tip. (163/61 cm).
8. has a barbed bone head attached to a palmwood foreshaft and the bast whipping is not lime-covered. (156/34 cm).
9. has a palmwood head with ten small barbs. (173/61 cm).
10. is similar to N° 3 with a bone point and bone barb. The foreshaft is offset from the reed shaft intentionally to make the wound nastier. Also this makes the arrow revolve eccentrically around its center of gravity in flight, making dodging a matter of nice judgment. (140/56 cm).
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