88 
HORN EXPEDITION—ANTHROPOLOGY. 
made of some other wood than that of Tecoma. Of a similar yellow colour these 
are lighter in weight, usually rather thicker, of straighter grain and with fewer 
knots than the Tecoma spears, but in other respects the construction is the same, 
and like these they may be barbed or unbarbed. 
I noticed that while the spears from Alice Springs were mostly made of 
Tecoma, a considerable number of those at Tempe Downs were of the other lighter 
kind of wood, which I have not been able to identify. 
What little ornamentation existed was simple and rude, and confined to a 
length of about a foot behind the junction of the blade with the shaft. The usual 
pattern took the form of sinuous bands made up of short transverse notches 
beginning and ending with a collar of several closely approximated incised rings. 
The blades also frequently bore variously arranged groups of roughly made short 
notches or cuts, which looked as if they might be tales of some kind, though, 
in some instances, these marks were arranged in definite circles as if intended for 
ornament. A few spears from Alice Springs showed, on the shafts, traces of dark 
spiral bands, probably of old blood. 
The above types of spear, which have a very wide range in Central Australia, 
being met with everywhere, are used for both fighting and hunting, and are thrown 
with the throwing-stick. Each native generally carries from one to three. The 
range for accurate use is not more than about 50 yards as we had opportunities of 
seeing, though they can be actually thrown to a much greater distance. The 
native name for both these kinds of spears as given to me was “ Rangera.”* At 
Alice Springs it is “ Ilcherta.” 
Another kind of spear, or rather lance (“Tajunja”), not very frequently seen 
was made of a single piece of some hard wood variously stated to be a kind of 
Mallee {Eucalyptus, sp.), Mulga {Acacia aneurci), or Acacia doratoxylon. These were 
rather longer than the preceding forms, reaching to a length of about 10 feet, with 
the blade moiety long and about an inch and a half wide. The shafts, still 
showing some of the natural curvatures of the wood, were marked with wide or 
narrow longitudinal facets or flutings, made by the instrument by which they had 
been pared down. No pit existed at the tail end, from which it is to be concluded 
that when thrown it is by the hand alone. These spears are nearly always heavily 
red-ochred all over, and the blade often bears transverse bars of yellow ochre 
extending for 18 or 20 inches from the point. 
* The native names in this section are from the Arunta tribe. 
