This is the spear head of a warfare spear. It is hewn from obsidian and still has some Parinarium putty stuck on its lower end. This is where it was attached directly to the handle or to a wooden joint. The tip is broken off. <BR> Splinters and bigger parts of obsidian, which were needed for the daggers and spears were hewn off with stones. This was done by expert men, who exactly knew the physical qualities of the stone and therefore knew where to hit. Most of the blades were pear-shaped with the biggest lower part being attached to the wooden shaft. All the obsidian is originally from Lou Island, whose people at first had the monopoly on spears and daggers with obsidian blades. Through trade relations though, the obsidian also spread across to the main island and the little islands around, which then started to manufacture those weapons themselves. Deep shafts were dug out, in which men worked with torches to produce the obsidian. Big blocks of it were either directly processed on Lou island or traded to the other islands. In the period of 3,200 to 2,500 years ago, the Lou Island obsidian had been transported to places as far as Borneo in the west and Vanuatu in the east, covering a span of 5,700 km.<BR> The spears were used in open battle and would be hurled from the distance. The heavier obsidian-tipped spears were more suitable for shorter distances or were thrust into the enemies body. <BR> Warfare was one of the two areas in which the continuing vitality and power of a leading family or leading man were demonstrated. It was therefore crucial for maintaining the social hierarchy and can be seen as having been a normal aspect of life on the Admiralty Islands. The intensity and frequency of raids and fights probably increased after the arrival of Westerners, because they sold iron and weapons to the islanders which were firstly more effective and secondly produced an imbalance of power between the different clans. The warfare was prevented from the 1930s by the colonial governments. According to reports, the Admiralty Islanders did not hesitate at first to attack white people which were coming to the island. This was during the 18th century, when the English visited and chartered the islands and the existence of obsidian-tipped spears and daggers were reported then. This ceased as the islands began to be governed by white colonists. <BR> Ambushes or raids at dawn were frequent. The actual reasons or causes for attacks are not known, except that a leader would prove his strength and ability. The warriors were mostly young, unmarried adult men which were lead by a clan or group leader. They carried spears, javelins and daggers. All people in the attacked villages were killed, the eyes were gouged out with the sharp obsidian blades and sometimes the heads were cut off to be taken home as a trophy. Houses were burnt down. Fights were also decided on boats on the water. <BR> Most of the weapons for European collectors and museums were collected between 1876 and 1910. The popularity of weapons can be ascribed to the reputation of the Admiralty Islanders as being independent and wild. On the other hand, Europeans were generally fascinated by weapons from societies they felt were still savage and primitive. Thus the prevalence of weapons in all the collections.<BR>