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An Obsidian Tip Spear, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea Late 19th Century This spare from Admiralty Islands group in northern Papua New Guinea, features a large flaked stone point securely mounted into a gum paste setting, attached to a long, slender, tapering hardwood shaft. The shaft is decorated with frigate motifs. The Admiralty Islands were renowned for their stone-working traditions, especially the flaking of large blades and points from obsidian or chert using percussive and pressure techniques. The use of gum paste to fix blades into wooden mounts is a distinctive local method, and reflects broader Melanesian practices of binding and hafting ritual tools with organic adhesives. Weapons like this were often invested with social and symbolic value, exchanged between clans, or used in initiatory rites, warfare displays, or status affirmation ceremonies. L1620 W85 D40mm