Volume 03 Item 03: Walter Edmund Roth Bulletin No. 13 Fighting Weapons, 1904-1906 - Page 8

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[Page 8]

2

one of red, and longer one black, the latter being 'fixed' with a special medium; this latter is either the gum of a Melaleuca sp, or human blood obtained from the arm. The timber employed for the distal position of all these spears except (d); is the Acacia Rothii, Bail (NGA. lar), that for the proximal varying, as will be seen in the following short descriptions of the different varieties:-

(a) Short light spears, proximal longer (from 2½ times down) than the distal position and no barbs. Used only for playing with and All known by the general term of pó-ini. Made of Hibiscus brackysiphonius, F.v.M. (NGG. yí-awara), Croton triacros, F.v.M. (NGG. bó-atha), Macaranga tanarius, F.v.M. (NGG. arm-buta), Desmodium umbellatum, DC (NGG. owono), or Pluchea indica, Less[?] (NGG. onogona)

(b) Heavier and longer spears, proximal longer than the distal portion, and armed with stingaree-barbs fixed onto the tip - a few central ones surrounded by others in the form of a circlet. These spears, used for figting, have all the general name of larna-pe (the Nggerikudi term for a stingaree-barb) applied to them. Made of 'bamboo' (NGG. ro-amada), or Hibiscues tiliaceus, Lirin[?] (NGG. Kórnbrana*)

(c) Heavier and longer spears, but the proximal portions much shorter (1/5 or even less) than the dstal. Used for hunting Kangaroo, fish, etc. Made from timber called ombo, which is bartered from the Embly R, or from Premna obtusifolia, R Br (NGG mo-odo), or Eucalyptus tesselaris, F.v.M. (NGG. winnichanna). These spears pass by the general name of to-ono.

(d) Weight and length similar to (c), but the proximal portion much longer (5 times) than the distal, which is multiple (3 or 4 pieces) and barbed and Used for hunting Kangaroo, fish etc.  They have the generic name of dé-ro. Proximal portion manufactured from Hibiscus tiliaceus, Thespesia populnea [Indecipherable] (NGG. pe-amanggan), or Tristania suaveoleus, Sm. (NGG. ta-andruno), the distal from the Carappa miluccensis, Lam (NGG adaimbite).

* Two other timbers sometimes employed for making these heavy spears, (b) and (c) are the Wedeli biflora DC (NGG.tondronga-name) and Cordia subcordata, Lam. (NGG> lava)

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