Shield - Goolmary

The diversity of iconography and patterning found in the designs painted on aboriginal objects reinforces the strong cultural distinctions that exist across Aboriginal Australia. This distinctive 19th-century shield is typical of those associated with Queensland and is provenanced to Port Mackay on the Capricornia coast. However, this particular shield is unusual in its incisions and distinctive red and black patterning. This pattern and color combination are not commonly used by aboriginal people except in discrete areas of Australia. The design has been overlaid on a base of white pipe clay left at the ends to form bands. Little documentation accompanies this shield other than its association with the collection of Isidore de Beer in 1891. The wood is said to have been kurrajong or 'Brachychiton,' and the name recorded for this shield is 'goolmary.' It is not evident what this word refers to, whether it is the shield itself, the wood, or the name of the group it came from.