Summary
Central Australian shields were traditionally used as defensive weapons against spears and boomerangs in conflict situations. The surface of these shields were also decorated with designs representing the totemic ancestors of young men and displayed during the public stages of their initiation.
Local Name
Alkwerte
Physical Description
This shield or alkwerte (Arrernte) is made from the red bean tree (erythrina verspertilio), or tyweretye (Arrernte). The handle is carved from the lower surface plane. Both sides of the shield are decorated with a reddish brown ochre ground layer. Sinuous and straight lines of yellow ochre and dots of white ochre, over painted with red, decorate the upper surface.
More Information
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Object/Medium
Shield
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Maker
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Cultural Groups
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Locality
Specific locality unrecorded, Desert East, Northern Territory, Australia
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Date Produced
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Collector
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Date Collected
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Overall Dimensions
830 mm (Length), 255 mm (Width), 95 mm (Height)
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Classification
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Date Made
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Maker
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Clan/Language Group
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Place Made
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Indigenous Region
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Keywords
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References
[Book] Ryan, Judith & Batty, Philip. 2011. Origins of Western Desert Art: Tjukurrtjanu.
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Acquisition Information
Purchase from Francis J. Gillen, 30 May 1899
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Collection Names
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Type of item
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Discipline
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Category
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Collecting Areas
