Wooden tri-point weapon with sharks' teeth set along edges. Formed of main 'blade' with three curved guard-prongs also set with shark teeth. [AF [OPS Move] 19/6/2017]

Collection type: Object
Description: Wooden tri-point weapon with sharks' teeth set along edges. Formed of main 'blade' with three curved guard-prongs also set with shark teeth. [AF [OPS Move] 19/6/2017]
Long description: The main body of the weapon is formed of single piece of wood. It is cylindrical tapering to a point at the top. The handle section has been carved to be square in section, with two bands of twisted plant fibre, and also ends in a point. The length of the main blade has two rows of sharks teeth set into ridges formed by lengths of cane and secured by plant fibre string tied through perforations in the teeth. There are three curved pieces of wood tied to the main body of the sword with plant fibre. One of these is longer at set closer to the main body of the weapon. The other two are sorter and both set at the same angle from the main prong. All three prongs are set with two rows of shark teeth in the same manner as the main section of the weapon. The section of the handle where the prongs are attached has a loop of twisted plant fibre. [AF [OPS Move] 19/6/2017]
Geographical reference: Kiribati
Oceania > Micronesia > Kiribati; Gilbert Islands
Person: Field collector Unknown Collector; PRM source Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Date / Period: Date made: On or before 1868
Date collected: ?On or before 1868
Acquisition information: Transferred: 13/02/1886
Materials and processes: Material Palm Wood Plant, Material Shark Tooth Fish, Material Sennit Coconut Seed Fibre Plant, Material Plant Fibre, Process Bound, Process Perforated, Process Carved, Process Tied, Process Twisted
Dimensions: Length: max 692 mm, Width: max 218 mm, Depth: max 54 mm
Object numbers: Accession number: 1886.1.1376 Other numbers: 1376

Search terms: Weapon, Sword, Spear

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