A Kalam (Simbai) Fighting shield - Kalam people, Simbai River, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. Of classical form, the shield with rows of raised knob-like designs in geometric patterns against a blackened surface. Heavy dense wood. This example with three lozenge-shaped rows of raised nubs. Kalam shields, often known as Simbai shields, are quite minimal yet often profound in their stylizations. The shields were worn slung on the left shoulder and are extremely heavy. There is conjecture as to the meaning of the designs though Bulmer felt they may have represented cultivated garden lands.Acquired by Marc Seidler on the Simbai River in 1981. Measures 43.75 inches tall x 25 inches wide. Extremely Heavy wood.

Good/ fair, well weathered