Wooden war shield

Flying fox
While the scroll form in the centre symbolises the male genitals, it also suggests a flying fox, a large bat. Flying foxes are a headhunting symbol among the Asmat. The shape appears on all kinds of Asmat objects. The design on the shield had a dual purpose: to protect and to scare. At the top is a face. This may be the head of the man portrayed or the head of a ray. For the Asmat, ray heads referred to distant ancestors.

Stone tools
When this shield was made, the Asmat had relatively little contact with Europeans. There were no metal tools in New Guinea.That is evident in the workmanship. It is roughly fashioned with stone tools and sharp shells. Europeans were the first to introduce metal, and the Asmat were quick to learn their use. Later shields are more elegantly worked.

Expedition
This object was found by the Second South New Guinea Expedition of 1909-1910. This was the second of three European explorations of the central highlands of the New Guinea interior. The aim was to reach the snow-capped peaks of the central mountain range. The third expedition succeeded. The explorers set off from the south coast. From there they went by boat inland along the main rivers. On their way they encountered peoples such as the Asmat, and collected objects that were later shipped to the Netherlands.

Asmat
At the time of the South New Guinea Expeditions the term Asmat had not yet been coined. The people consisted of hundreds of small settlements each living in isolation. In the 1950s, Dutch ethnologists decided that these communities formed a cultural entity. Dutch missionary Pater Zegwaard was the first to use the term Asmat in the 1950s; it means tree people.

circa 150cm (59 1/16in.)

Source: collectie.tropenmuseum.nl