
Tur HEAVY WOODEN SHIELD or MISIMA, PAPUA 
By H, K, BARTLETT. 
Fig. 1-2. 
Tan island of Misima (St, Aignan) stands a little apart from the other islands of 
the Calvados Chain in the Louisiade Archipelago, south-eastern Papua, Its coral 
cliffs rise abruptly from the sea. Mount Oiatau (oia—mountain, tau=man) 
rises to about 3,400 feet on the narrow western end. Just off-shore charts record 
sea depths of 900 fathoms. he mountain range traverses the island, dwindling 
to a series of lesser peaks on the eastern end, where gold-bearing reefs have been 
located. 
Misima to-day carries a population of about 2,800 people of Papuo- 
Melanesian stock, all of whom live in coastal villages. However, stories have been 
handed down of days when densely populated villages were numerous inland, 
as well as on the coast. Prior to the appearance of the white man, constant raiding 
and intervillage fighting appears to have been the order of the day. 
During this warfare the most characteristic weapon in use, besides spears 
and stones, was a heavy wooden shield, borne by an otherwise unarmed shield- 
bearer, who preceded files of spearmen when engaged in combat. 
In July, 1941, shortly after an old and damaged shield had been first noticed 
in Baloma yillage, four of these heavy wooden shields were obtained from the 
natives of Awaibi village. A sixth and the best example seen, was buried with 
Togu, an old man of Lapipai village who died shortly afterwards. The shields are 
rare and, although careful inquiries were made, the one buried with Togu was 
stated to be the last one remaining on the island. All others had been buried with 
their former owners or destroyed. 
The shields examined and those obtained were of relatively uniform size, 
approximately 20 inches by 36 inches, and about 1} inches thick at the centre; 
subrectangular, with the sides parallel and the ends rather evenly rounded. Two 
of them weigh 12 lb, each. The timber commonly used was taken from the heavy 
plank-like buttress roots of a type of fig tree. The broken shield first seen at 
Baloma village was, however, made from a yery light wood. 
An old native informant, Tomiarati by name, related how, in the days before 
white occupation of the island, he had been a shield-hearer for the natives of 
Lapipai village; he gave a demonstration of his skill in handling the heavy piece 
of wood. The shield, which was slightly convex to add to its efficiency in deflecting 
