Shield (broad)

This is a 'broad' shield. Its face is divided by seven horizontal rows of incised, solid diamond motifs, highlighted with red ochre. The broad sections in between have been filled in with white pipe clay, with the handle cut from the solid shield. This shield is known to have been collected by William Le Souëf, an Assistant Protector of Aborigines in the early 1840s, based in north-central Victoria on the Goulburn River, near the present-day town of Murchison. Its exact cultural origin has not been determined. This type of shield is wide and was generally used to deflect spears. They have handles, either carved from the solid wood or inserted into central holes. They were made from the bark of gum trees; the manna gum tree (Eucalyptus viminalis) was often used. These shields are known by Aboriginal names such as Gee-am, Kerreem and Bam-er-ook. This particular shield was exhibited in the 'Great Australian Art Exhibition' that travelled to the Queensland Art Gallery; the Art Gallery of Western Australia; the Art Gallery of New South Wales; the National Gallery of Victoria; and the Art Gallery of South Australia in the early 1980s. The tools used to build and engrave shields were made from stone and sharp animal teeth such as those of marsupials. Designs were carved and then painted onto the shield face with sticks, echidna quill or hair brushes, or with fingers.The main natural pigments traditionally used by Aboriginal people were charcoal (black), pipe clay (white) and ochres (pale yellow to dark reddish-brown). Red ochre was significant and was an important trade commodity. The paint was made by grinding the substance with a stone implement into powder and then combining it with a liquid.The history of 'ownership' of such objects between leaving the possession of Aboriginal people and becoming part of Museum Victoria collections is diverse and often obscure. Early collectors acquired objects such as these because it was believed that Aboriginal people were 'a dying race'. This belief and the growing interest in ethnography created a roaring trade in Aboriginal objects from the early 19th century onwards. Shields from Victoria are a feature in Bunjilaka at Melbourne Museum.