Fighting arrows from Amanab in the West Sepik area of Papua New Guinea near the Irian Jaya border. They were collected in the 1960s by a patrol officer stationed there. They are very long, about 1.7 meters, and are distinguished by the painted and carved wooden foreshafts.

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 barbed bamboo head attached to the wooden foreshaft. On either side of the head is lashed a length of thorned rattan as an additional barbing. (170/45 cm).  2. is similar except that the painting has come off through insect damage. (172/46 cm).  3. has a round palmwood head with two toothed barbs and round carving at two points.  (171/51 cm).  4. has a plain round palmwood head and would be the standard arrow for fighting at a distance. (165/39 cm).  5. is similar to N° 1. (172/46 cm).  6. has a head made of a heavy hardwood carved into toothed barbs. (172/60 cm).  7. is similar to N° 1 but has a pandanus leaf wrapping over the foreshaft to protect the painted carving. (163/46 cm).  8. has a long bone point into which is inserted the carved and painted foreshaft. (166.5/55 cm).  9. also has a long bone point. Inserted into this is a wooden foreshaft with six small barbs in front of a plaited bast collar that divides the foreshaft from the carved and painted part. (174/46 cm).  10. is similar to the others with barbed bamboo heads except that the wooden foreshaft has a simpler design like that on N° 3. (167.5/47.5 cm).

© D. Skinner Collection.