A Fine Old New Guinea War Shield Lumi or Nuku People West Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea War Shield from the Lumi or Nuku Area in the Torricelli Mountain Ranges of The West Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea.  Dating from the early 20th Century 

Nuku is only 60 kilometers away from Lumi but there is a distinct change in form of the shield and designs.  Dr Barry Craig writes in the seminal book on Shields ” The Shields of Melanesia 2005 ” The form of the spiral motifs on the Yeri & Nuku Shields can be compared to designs from the Urim speaking hamlet of Yakalik “.

In New Guinea where most of the shields are either oval or rectangular, the Lumi Shields stand out with their elegant irregular and beautiful form. This shield is deeply incised with designs that remind me of an abstract lizard but that may not be the case. This shield also retains part of the original red and white ochre painting that highlights the designs.

I am sure that long ago the person who made this shield had stories both about the shape shield and the designs which are now probably lost.   These designs are mesmerizing to look at; in fact most New Guinea Shields the designs are meant to frighten or confuse the enemy.  I was told this by many different tribal groups in New Guinea and West Papua,

In many areas of New Guinea shields are said to be vessels for ancestral spirits and often have personal names that only the owner of the shield can invoke.

The two holes for the original rattan handle which now missing but you can the old wear on the holes showing prolonged use. Originally the rattan handle or strap on the back of the shiels where the warrior could slip through his arm and firmly hold in place on this shoulder hands-free to shoot a bow & arrow while protecting his body from enemy arrows.  Lumi Nuku shields were quite light and quite thick and could easily stop an arrow from penetrating the warrior.

When you see this Shield in person you can see right away that it is a very old shield and though ancient in its tradition it also has a superb modernist sculptural form that would fit well in a modern house with modern art.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art & Shields

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & Art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery.  I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com  where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.