Accession No

2004.18


Description

Fish-spear-head with cross-hatching. Part of the long wooden handle has been cut off. Carved, wooden barbed spearhead, painted with black, white, yellow and red ?ochre paint. The pointed tip is yellow and the cross-hatching and bands on the rest of the spear head are in red, white and yellow on a background of black.


Place

Oceania; Australasia; Australia; Northern Australia


Period

20th century


Source

Bateman, Frederick John Afford [collector]; Bateman, Richard [donor]


Department

Anth


Reference Numbers

2004.18


Cultural Affliation


Material

Wood; Pigment


Local Term


Measurements

35mm x 6mm x 755mm


Events

Description (CMS Description)
Fish-spear-head with cross-hatching. Part of the long wooden handle has been cut off. Carved, wooden barbed spearhead, painted with black, white, yellow and red ?ochre paint. The pointed tip is yellow and the cross-hatching and bands on the rest of the spear head are in red, white and yellow on a background of black.
Event Date
Author: maa


Context (CMS Context)
(Bio) (Collector) Fredrick John Afford Bateman was a doctor in Alice Springs periodically between 1955 -1959, where he worked both in the hospital there and as a flying medic. Richard Bateman, the collector’s son, in correspondence with CUMAA adds: ‘It was a practice that all weapons, shields, knives were left outside the ward [at the Alice Spring Hospital] and were often unclaimed after the patients left the hospital.’ This object is one of eight fish-spear-heads collected during this period. Two have been retained by CUMAA.
Event Date
Author: maa


FM:265235

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