Wood, pigments, lime.

Mendi population

Nembi Valley

Southern Highlands.

Provenance :

– Former Chris Boylan collection, Sydney

– Daniel Vigne Collection, Paris, Uzes

Unlike the Nipa Valley shield with its reversed colors, this shield has a central circle in red on a white background. Like the previous shield, according to Chris Boylan, the circle corresponds to the center of a navel, which gives an anthropomorphic meaning to the design of the shield.  If the white color avoids the arrows, it also represents the body of the warrior. Red is the color of blood and victory.

This shield, like 90% of the shields of the Southern Highlands, is carved in a wood called warr. This wood is relatively soft but with a tight grain that does not allow arrows to penetrate deeply. The name warrumbi literally means: wall (of protection) of the warr tree.