Rainforest Shields- screen print

Traditional shields were carved from a single piece of timber cut from side of the buttress root of a rainforest fig-tree.  The kidney shaped shields are unique to the rainforest bama of Far North Queensland. They were decorated with clan, totem or moiety designs using natural ochres and a water, fat or blood binder.

Shields were primarily used for deflecting spears in tribal fighting in conjunction with large rainforest swords.

Copyright, for both screen print and text remain with BBN and may not be reproduced without permission.