Roromaraugi
Appearance
A roromaraugi is a parrying shield from San Cristobal Island in the Solomon Islands.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Roromaraugi.jpg/100px-Roromaraugi.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Warrior_with_wicker_shield_and_parrying_club%2C_Solomon_Islands.jpg/100px-Warrior_with_wicker_shield_and_parrying_club%2C_Solomon_Islands.jpg)
Uses
It was used to deflect the enemy’s arrows and spears. It has a broad sickle shaped head[1] that is separated by a well-marked central ridge with an ergot at his back. The handle is often finished by an anthropomorphic sculpture and the whole is done in very hard wood.[2] It was also used in war dances and measures more or less 150 cm.[3] It should not be confused with the qauata which does not have an ergot and looks more like a leaf.[4]
References
- ^ The British Museum Yearbook, British Museum, 1979, p.218
- ^ Deborah Waite, Art of the Solomon Islands, 1983, p.135
- ^ Douglas Newton, Arts des mers du sud: Insulinde, Mélanésie, Polynésie, Musée Barbier-Mueller, 1998, p.270
- ^ Deborah Waite, Art of the Solomon Islands : The Conru Collection, 2008, p.113
Bibliography
- Purissima Benitez, Jean-Paul Barbier, Alain-Michel Boyer, Boucliers d’Afrique, d’Asie du Sud-Est et d’Océanie, Paris, Éditions Adam Biro, 1998.