Combat Shield
Dublin Core
Title
Combat Shield
Creator Biography
Oceanic
Culture
Asmat Tribe
Place Made
Papua New Guinea (formerly Irian Jaya)
Description
Carved wooden shield with handles on the back. 6 1/2 faces stacked, polychromed, with raffia fringe along sides. Painted red, grey, and white.
The Biwat are a sub-culture of the Mundugamor, who live near the junction of the Yuat and Sepik Rivers of New Guinea. The 20th century brought European missionaries and diseases to New Guinea, as well as extreme environmental changes including floods, droughts, and earthquakes. These circumstances exacerbated violence in this region, where head hunting and cannibalism were common practices; skirmishes, usually over reputation and honor, increased, raids were frequent, and alliances were weak and easily broken.
The men of these communities were responsible for crafting the ritual masks, sculptures, and other objects, as well as military objects including drums, flutes, and war shields. The Biwat shield in this exhibit is a Pakei, which typically show several vertically stacked faces. The bottom face on the shield likely represents a powerful, protective spirit call Riram, which is identifiable by the representation of bristled lines around the eyes, and whose eyes are sometimes depicted as round circles, as here. The round eyes and the pointed ears of most other faces on this shield suggest that these represent flying foxes, a large species of fruit bat that symbolize head hunting.
The small oval version of a Pakei was traditionally used with bows and arrows, while tall versions such as this shield were traditionally used with spears, in raids. Raids and head hunting practices and rituals had dwindled by the mid-20th century, but the shields continue to be made in the effort to preserve Biwat cultural heritage, and for profit in the tourist trade.
Stephenie Walker, 2013, Missouri State University student
The Biwat are a sub-culture of the Mundugamor, who live near the junction of the Yuat and Sepik Rivers of New Guinea. The 20th century brought European missionaries and diseases to New Guinea, as well as extreme environmental changes including floods, droughts, and earthquakes. These circumstances exacerbated violence in this region, where head hunting and cannibalism were common practices; skirmishes, usually over reputation and honor, increased, raids were frequent, and alliances were weak and easily broken.
The men of these communities were responsible for crafting the ritual masks, sculptures, and other objects, as well as military objects including drums, flutes, and war shields. The Biwat shield in this exhibit is a Pakei, which typically show several vertically stacked faces. The bottom face on the shield likely represents a powerful, protective spirit call Riram, which is identifiable by the representation of bristled lines around the eyes, and whose eyes are sometimes depicted as round circles, as here. The round eyes and the pointed ears of most other faces on this shield suggest that these represent flying foxes, a large species of fruit bat that symbolize head hunting.
The small oval version of a Pakei was traditionally used with bows and arrows, while tall versions such as this shield were traditionally used with spears, in raids. Raids and head hunting practices and rituals had dwindled by the mid-20th century, but the shields continue to be made in the effort to preserve Biwat cultural heritage, and for profit in the tourist trade.
Stephenie Walker, 2013, Missouri State University student
Century
19th
Item Dimensions
152.4 cm h. x 25.4 cm w. x 8 cm d.
Medium
sculpture
Materials
wood, raffia, polychromed
Techniques
carving, painting
Provenance
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Morton D. May, 1967
Acession Number
1971.150 B12
Accession Year
1971
Photo Number
20110014
Bibliography
Adventure Indonesia. http://www.adventureindonesia.com/asmat.htm