The history of mankind (1896) (14740870656)

Identifier: historyofmankind01ratz (find matches)

Title: The history of mankind

Year: 1896 (1890s)

Authors: Ratzel, Friedrich, 1844-1904 Butler, Arthur John, 1844-1910

Subjects: Ethnology Anthropology

Publisher: London, Macmillan and co., ltd. New York, The Macmillan co.

Contributing Library: Wellesley College Library

Digitizing Sponsor: Wellesley College Library

Text Appearing Before Image:

rrows. Experiments withpoisoned arrows have often failed to produce any result, and in many cases thepoisoning must be regarded only as a magical rite. Deadly effects are alsoascribed to arrow-heads of human bone, and orders for these articles are stillgiven freely. One of the appliances of archery in the New Hebrides is a woodenhand-guard some 5 inches broad. This is slipped over the wrist like a ring, and DRESS AND WEAPONS OF THE MELANESIANS J35 protects the hand from the recoil of the bow-string. The spiral liana bandagesa foot long used in Buka, and the plaited braces covering half the forearmfound on the Fly River, doubtless have the same purpose; while the braces andgreaves of plaited bast in the Anchorite Islands are as much ornamental as pro-tective. The natives of New Britain, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, and Fiji, useslings for missile purposes. In New Caledonia and Niue the carefully wroughtsling-stones, of a pointed oval shape, are carried in a net bag, fastened at the

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i. Carved dance-shield from east New Guinea—one-fifth real size. 2. Shield from Teste in New Guinea— one-tenth real size. (Christy Collection.) lower end by buttons, and hence easily emptied. The sling is a simple cord,doubled in the middle to form a seat for the stone. It is unknown in NewIreland and the Solomons ; while in Tanna the boys use slings where their eldersemploy bows and spears. The Fijians have also short throwing-clubs, with adeeply shouldered head, like the induku of the Kaffirs. The killing-clubs ofMalayta are stronger weapons of the same kind, having a carved handle, with alump of pyrites at the lower end contained in a web of bast. To this classbelong the instruments like staves, over a yard long, used in New Caledonia,originally nothing but pointed cudgels with a grip for the hand. Even before the age of iron, knives and daggers were used in hand-to-hand fight-ing, either formed of broken-off spear-heads or poniards of bone. Those from the

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1896

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