Long wood and bamboo spear. Wooden head is long and concave, with carved lines encircling the piece in three areas. The head is inserted into a bamboo shaft and bound with woven rattan and beeswax. The shaft has been shaved towards the join and a few thin lines have been scratched near it as well as the butt. The nodules have been shaved smooth.

Arrow has a concave bamboo head, dyed on the interior and bound to a narrow wooden upper shaft with string and wax. This is decorated with carved, repeating patterns emphasized with lime. It is inserted into a slightly larger bamboo shaft and secured with rattan and beeswax. This lower shaft has been shaved towards the join and a few thin lines have been scratched around it and near the butt. A few lines have been shaved down the bamboo shaft forming long Vs and Xs.

Bamboo and wood spear. The bamboo head is long and concave, dyed on the interior and tip, and bound to a narrow upper shaft made of wood with string and beeswax. This is inserted into a slightly larger bamboo shaft and secured with rattan and beeswax. Both of these binds show traces of lime. The shaft has been thinly shaved towards the join and a few thin lines have been scratched around the shaft just below this. The nodules have been shaved smooth.

Wood and bamboo spear. Bamboo head is long and concave, pointed at tip, bound to a narrow wooden upper shaft with string and beeswax. This is inserted into a slightly larger bamboo shaft and held with rattan and beeswax. The lower shaft has been thinly shaved towards the join and a few thin lines have been scratched around the shaft just below this. Although the nodules have been shaved for a smoother shaft the sections of the bamboo are still pronounced.

Long bamboo spear. A carved bone head with eight barbs in two staggered rows, bound to a narrow wooden upper shaft with string and wax. This is decorated with carved diagonal patterns filled with lime and is inserted into a larger bamboo shaft and bound with rattan and beeswax. The lower shaft has been thinly shaved towards the join and a few thin lines have been scratched around the top and butt.

Wood and bamboo spear. The long wooden head has been carved with five pairs of perpendicular barbs and a long encircling line, filled with lime. This is inserted into a bamboo shaft and bound with woven rattan and beeswax. The shaft has been shaved towards the join and a few thin lines have been scratched just below. Near the shaft bottom are remnants of a bright blue fibre or dye.

Long spear with carved bone head. The edges of the head have four barbs each, staggered, along the sides. Head is bound to a narrow wooden shaft with string and wax. The convex side has remnants of a light green dye over the middle half of the head. The wooden shaft is carved into diagonal patterns filled with lime. It is inserted into a slightly larger bamboo shaft and bound with rattan and wax. The shaft has been thinly shaved towards the join and a few thin lines have been scratched around the shaft just below this. The nodules have been shaved smooth.

Golden, bronze and chocolate-brown cassowary feathers are attached at the base to a cone of bees wax adorned with coix seeds. The base of the feathers emerge from the point of the cone and are tied together with sago leaf fibres and bast string which are attached to a 7cm-long thin, pointed piece of wood.

Wood and bamboo spear. The long wooden head has four tiers with carved lines encircling the top three at the base. It is inserted into a bamboo shaft, bound with criss-crossing rattan and beeswax. A thin line is scratched around the top of the shaft three times. The bamboo’s nodules have been shaved smooth.

Museum Expedition 1903, Purchased with funds given by A. Augustus Healy and George Foster Peabody