Wunda shield

Wunda shields, named after the type of wood they are made of, are characterized by three overlapping panels carved with parallel fluted lines that run in different directions. Wunda shields can be of two types, based on how the panels are arranged: the one called pandal has vertical lines on both end panels and oblique lines in the central panel, while the pangkurda type features oblique lines on the end panels and horizontal lines on the central one.
Wunda shields were produced exclusively by the Yamatji of the Gascoyne Murchison region, but became widespread throughout Western Australia thanks to commercial exchanges that the Yamatji entertained with other Aboriginal peoples. Used during hand-to-hand combat as a defense against spears and clubs, wunda shields also symbolized the prestige of the elders who once owned them and were also used in various ceremonial contexts, especially during commemorations of episodes tied to the Dreaming, the time when ancestral spirits created the world.