PNG Handcraft Exports - WEAPONS AND SHIELDS

WEAPONS AND SHIELDS

With over 800 distinct languages and countless different tribes and clans competing for ascendancy, land and material resources, it is not surprising that Papua New Guinea has a long history of tribal conflicts which continue even today. The five Highlands provinces (Eastern, Western, Southern, Chimbu and Enga) are regularly paralysed by tribal fights which result in many deaths, burned houses and crops, and often culminate in elaborate peace ceremonies at which huge amounts of money and material wealth are exchanged in compensation.

Although the use of home-made shotguns and even automatic rifles is becoming disturbingly frequent, the weapons-of-choice for tribal conflicts are still the traditional armaments of spears and arrows. Bone daggers, stone axes and modern-day steel bushknives (machetes) are also common in hand-to-hand fighting and, walking around the Highlands towns it is not unusual to see men sporting long scars on their faces or even grown-over furrows in their skulls evidencing a close call with an axehead or knife blade.

Bows are generally about 60" in length and made of strong, flexible Black Palm wood, with a strip of rattan, bamboo or rolled bush twine for a bowstring. Arrows are often made of thin bamboo or cane, or heat-hardened cane grass sharpened to a point. Arrows may also be projected by an arrow-thrower instead of a bow.

Spears are also made of Black Palm or other hardwood and vary in length from 60" to 120". In Papua New Guinea, spears are generally used for jabbing the opponent in bayonet fashion from behind a wooden shield rather than being thrown like a javelin.

Bone daggers are generally made from the thighbones of deer, cassowaries or other large animals. The bone is cut longitudinally, sharpened at the point and hardened by fire. Bone daggers may be decorated or undecorated.

Photographs below show types of bows and arrows ("bunara" in Tok Pisin), spears, axes and daggers available for purchase. Some items may be used, others may be newly crafted: you may indicate your preference.

Shipping to USA/Europe costs USD10 per kilogram for insured air mail (2-3 weeks) or USD4 per kilogram for insured surface mail (2-3 months). Estimated packed weights are available on request. NB Spears over 1.5 metres in length may be difficult to ship due to post office size restrictions.

Retail prices quoted are in US dollars. Discounts apply to bulk orders.

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Email: info@pnghandcrafts.8k.com

BOWS AND ARROWS