
BARTLETT—HEAVY WOODEN SHIELD OF MISIMA 611 
Mr. N, B. Tindale (Ethnologist of South Australian Museum) has made 
the following comments: ‘‘Edge-Partington (Album of the native weapons... of 
the natives of the Pacific Islands, i, 1890, pl. 283, fig. 4) illustrates a specimen 
of this Misima type of shield, labelled only as from ‘New Guinea.’ It measures 
19 inches by 34 inches and its markings, so far as can be determined, were similar 
to those of the shields described herein. It is referred to ag a ‘heavy canoe shield 
of wood, painted black and decorated with carving and pigments.’ A manuseri pt 
note in the South Australian Museum copy of this work, by the late Sir Edward 
Stirling, indicates that similar shields were known from ‘Teste Island and in use 
at the southern end of the Peninsula. ’’ 
‘Although it is clear from details given of the method of use on Misima 
that these shields were employed as ‘upright’ land combat weapons, the carved 
design on one lateral margin helps to confirm other descriptions of them, inelud- 
ing Edge-Partington’s, as canoe shields. In such ease they may well have been 
employed with the decorated margin upwards. The usual presence of two 
seemingly vestigial medium projections or lugs on the face of several of the shields 
may be connected with some such former use. It will be noted that on one of two 
shields available for inspection at Adelaide, these projections are absent. The 
design on this shield, however, is less finished than on others, and may represent 
a later example,’’ 
