Obsidian Spear Spear

Spears with an obsidian point served as javelins and thrusting weapons during battle, while carefully crafted and decorated examples were used to accompany a male dancer. In the Admiralty Islands obsidian was mined mainly on the island of Lou to the southeast of Manus. Between the obsidian blade and wooden hilt the blade is held in place by the fresh and soft parinarium paste which subsequently hardens and serves as a very effective adhesive.  According to a reference in , “Oceania, The Ethnographic Collections of the University of Ghent”, the typical red color that characterises many objects from the Admiralty Islands is produced from iron oxide with a formula of Fe₂O₃ and is found  in rocks and soils