Many varieties of shapes and
designs existed in days gone by. Some were used for fighting and others
for ceremonial purposes.
Parrying shields warded off spears and blows from boomerangs or clubs.
They were carved from solid wood and easily deflected missiles. Parrying
shields were also useful for close-order fighting and could be manoeuvred
easy to displace an opponent's footing.
On the concave inner face, a hollowed handhold was cut, (
see above ) so that the gouged area was still embraced by a strong
handle within the single piece of wood.
Broad-bark shields were thin but light and easy to handle. Their thinness
was not a handicap because they were not meant to stop a spear. It was
necessary to regularly renew them because they soon became damaged through
use, or their fragile covering dried and warped.
The handle was usually a wooden stem bent through two holes placed near
the centre.
While some shields were plain, others were incised with geometric patterns
or painted, often in white, with bold bars added, perhaps in red. The
designs linked the bearers with their Dreaming ancestors and totemic
spirits, to help provide strength, security and protection. The sizes
of shields and their decorations varied from region to region. |
