OLD BONE DAGGER 

Sepik River region 

Papua New Guinea

The dagger is dark honey in colour, and has an overall shiny patina that only comes from use and handling over many years. The face has similarities to Kwoma (Upper Sepik ) design, with the surrounding chevron desins, and zig-zag motif more Middle Sepik. The dagger is almost certainly from the Manambu culture, who are a small group of villages between the two big cultures. Malu and Avatip are two of the larger villages on the Manambu. What is extraordinary on this dagger is the semi-naturalistic motifs showing plants and a flower. This suggests an artist who has worked outside the normal abstract motifs generally employed. Daggers made of cassowary bone, were used both in warfare for close combat, and also ceremonially, worn in an armband.

This dagger is one of 3, that were aquired from the same collection. They in turn were collected in PNG in the 1960's and then brought to Australia.

Size: 32.5 cm (length)  6.5 cm (width)  4.8 cm (depth)

Weight: 83 grams