Sword
Wood
Wooden sword from the Trobriand Islands
This is a wooden sword, most probably from the Trobriand Islands off the east coast of Papua New Guinea in East Asia. Originally this sword's intricate decoration would have been painted white and red. They were used for display, as well as warfare alongside wooden shields and spears.
The society of the Trobriand Islands is interesting. A person's descent is traced through the mother's side. It is also a surprisingly intact culture, remaining free from outside influence. It is the focus of one of the most famous early works of anthropology, 'The Argonauts of the Western Pacific'. Its author, the Austrian Bronsilaw Manilowski, wrote the book after becoming stranded on the islands at the beginning of the First World War.
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