Part 2: Boomerangs, bird-headed picks, Bows etc.

See here for introduction to Pitt-Rivers series.

In the 1877 catalogue of the Pitt-Rivers' displays at Bethnal Green Museum are listed a number of series of objects on display. As visitors were expected to use the catalogue as a display aide it can be assumed that the order of objects must match the objects position within the series. See the catalogue for the full catalogue description of the object and the Databases section of this website to find out what information is now available about the same object (search using the accession number).

It is interesting to note that the items do not appear always in the plates illustrating the catalogue in the same order that they appear textually. This may have been for practical reasons or may reflect some changes in relative position temporally?

The items that say 'Not in founding collection' indicate items that have not been accessioned yet into the founding collection. Between 1998 when the first Leverhulme Trust funded Pitt Rivers project ended and March 2011 a number of objects which had previously been unmatchable from the catalogue have now been found unentered in the Museum or its stores and details can now be matched. It is to be supposed that most of the other items marked 'not in founding collection' will also eventually be found and accessioned into the Pitt Rivers Museum as part of the founding collection.

See here for Part I of this series

Boomerangs

Screen 6 Australian Boomerangs

139 1884.25.9 Figure 8 in first illustration
140 1884.25.10
141 1884.25.11
142 1884.25.12
143 1884.25.13
144 1884.140.7 Figure 9 in first illustration
145 1884.25.18
146 1884.25.19
147 1884.25.14 or 1884.25.20 Figure 10 in first illustration
148 1884.25.21
149 1884.25.22
150 1884.25.23
151 1884.25.24
152 1884.25.25
153 1884.25.26
154 1884.25.27
155 1884.25.28
156 1884.25.29
157 1884.12.56 Figure 11 in first illustration
158 1884.12.57 Figure 12 in first illustration
159 1884.12.296 and 1884.12.58
160 1884.12.59
161 1884.12.60 & 1884.12.297
162 1884.12.73 1884.12.76 Figure 13 in first illustration
163 1884.12.298 Figure 14 in first illustration
164 1884.12.299 Figure 15 in first illustration
165 1884.12.300 Figure 16 in first illustration
166 1884.12.15 Figure 17 in first illustration

Egyptian boomerang

167 1884.25.30 Figure 18 in first illustration
168 1884.25.31
169 1884.25.32

Dravidian boomerang

170 1884.25.36
171 1884.25.37
172 Facsimile 1884.25.38 Figure 19 in second illustration
173 Facsimile 1884.25.39
174 Facsimile 1884.25.40
175 Facsimile 1884.25.41
176 1884.25.42 Figure 20 in second illustration
177 1884.25.43
178 Facsimile 1884.25.44
179 Facsimile 1884.25.45

Modern African Iron boomerangs

180 Iron pick 1884.25.5
181 Throwing knife 1884.25.8 Figure 21 in second illustration
182 Throwing knife 1884.25.6
183 Throwing knife 1884.25.1 Figure 22 in second illustration
184 Throwing knife 1884.25.3
185 Throwing knife 1884.25.2
186 1884.25.4
187 1884.25.7 Figure 23 in second illustration
188 1884.100.60
189 Spanish knife 1884.24.222
190 Spanish knife Not in founding collection

Bird-headed picks, New Caledonia

191 1884.12.179
192 1884.12.180
193 1884.12.181
194 1884.12.178
195 1884.12.176 and 1884.12.182
196 1884.12.177
197 1884.100.35

Screens 7,8,9,10 and 11
Implements for accelerating the flight of the dart. Bows, crossbows and Quivers

Screen 7 South Wall Australian Wummerah or throwing stick

198 1884.19.332
199 1884.19.335
200 1884.19.345
201 1884.19.344
202 1884.19.343
203 1884.19.341
204 1884.19.342
205 1884.140.3
206 1884.19.336
207 1884.19.339
208 1884.19.337
209 1884.140.1
210 1884.19.338
211 1884.19.340
212 1884.140.2

Esquimaux Throwing Stick

213 1884.19.350
214 1884.19.351

American Throwing Stick

215 Facsimile 1884.140.935
216 Facsimile Not in founding collection

Amentum

217 1884.19.331 Figure 27 in second illustration

Screen 8 Plain Bows Asiatic and Pacific Islands

218 Friendly Isles Bow 1884.15.64
219 Friendly Isles Bow 1884.15.60
220 Friendly Isles Bow 1884.15.62
221 Friendly Isles Bow 1884.15.61
222 Friendly Isles Bow 1884.15.59
223 Friendly Isles Bow 1884.15.63
223a Friendly Isles Bow Not in founding collection
224 Solomon Islands Bow 1884.15.81
225 Solomon Islands Bow and arrow star Not known, there do not appear to be any entries in the founding collection that would match this description or associated with this number.
226 Torres Straits Bow 1884.15.95
227 New Guinea Bow 1884.15.107 & 1884.15.9
228 New Guinea Bow Not in founding collection
229 New Hebrides Bow 1884.57.229
230 New Hebrides Bow 1884.15.73
231 New Hebrides Bow 1884.15.7
232 New Guinea Bow 1884.15.83
233 New Guinea Bow 1884.15.93
233a 1884.15.78
234 New Guinea Bow Not in founding collection
235 New Guinea Bow 1884.15.97
236 New Guinea Bow 1884.15.84
237 Andaman Bow 1884.15.56
238 New Zealand Bow 1884.15.71
239 New Hebrides or Ireland Bow 1884.15.6
Africa
240 1884.15.102
241 1884.15.101
242 1884.15.103
243 Not in founding collection
244 Not in founding collection
245 1884.15.98
245a Ashantee bow 1884.15.105
South America
246 Not in founding collection
247 1884.15.44
248 Not in founding collection
249 Not in founding collection
250 Not in founding collection
251 Not in founding collection
India and Assam
252 1884.15.50
253 ?1884.15.96
254 1884.15.37
255 1884.15.36
255a 1884.17.2
256 1884.15.34
257 1884.15.35
258 1884.15.32-33
259 1884.15.48
260 1884.15.52
261 Not in founding collection
262 1884.15.49
North America
263 1884.15.39
264 Not in founding collection
265 Not in founding collection
266 Not in founding collection
267 Not in founding collection

Screen 9 South Wall Composite Bows

268 Aleutian 1884.15.24
269 Esquimaux 1884.15.28
270 Esquimaux 1884.15.29
271 Esquimaux 1884.15.20, 26 Figure 28 in second illustration
272 Esquimaux Not in founding collection
273 Esquimaux 1884.15.27
274 Esquimaux 1884.15.23
275 Esquimaux 1884.15.25
276 NW Coast Not in founding collection
277 NW Coast 1884.15.18
278 NW Coast 1884.15.21
279 California 1884.15.22

Screen 10 South Wall
280 Chinese 1884.15.16 Figure 29 in second illustration
281 Indian Not in founding collection
282 Indian Not in founding collection
283 Indian 1884.15.19
284 Persian 1884.15.17
285 Lapland Not in founding collection
286 Indian 1884.15.30
287 European Not in founding collection
Japanese bows
288 Not in founding collection
289 1884.15.51
290 1884.100.36-37

Screen 11 Cross-bows

291 Gabon 1884.16.3
292 Gabon 1884.16.1-2
293 Quiver and poisoned arrows Gabon 1884.17.2
294 Africa 1884.16.5 Figure 30 in third illustration
295 Jamaica 1884.16.6 Figure 31 in third illustration
296 Assam 1884.16.7
297 Assam 1884.16.8
298 Assam 1884.16.4
299 Assam Quiver 1884.17.17
300 Chinese 1884.16.9
301 Chinese arrow 1884.15.124
302 Italian 1884.16.16-17
303 Italian bolt 1884.16.23
304 Italian bolt 1884.16.20
305 Italian bolt 1884.16.18 or 21
306 Italian bolt 1884.16.22
307 Italian bolt 1884.16.18 or 21
308 Latch 1884.16.12
309 Latch 1884.16.11
310 Windlass 1884.16.13
311 Pied de chevre 1884.16.15
312 Prod 1884.16.14
313 Prod 1884.16.10
314 Modern English 1884.16.19
315 Bolt 1884.120.77

Quivers for arrows

316 Arrow Aleut 1884.61.316
317 Arrow Aleut Not in founding collection
318 Quiver NW Africa 1884.17.7
319 Indian quiver Not in founding collection
320 Africa Quiver 1884.17.1
321 Africa Quiver 1884.17.6
322 Africa Quiver 1884.17.5
323 Chinese Quiver 1884.17.13
324 Assam Quiver and arrows 1884.17.12
325 Assam Quiver and arrows 1884.17.11
326 Africa Quiver and arrows 1884.17.9
327 Indian Quiver 1884.17.14
328 Esquimaux Quiver 1884.17.16

See here for next part

In the second illustration Figure 24 is from Denham and Clapperton's travels. I cannot find Figs 25 and 26. Figure 32 is an illustration from Mr Rawlinson 'Five Great Monarchies', an Assyrian quiver. Figure 33 is a Californian quiver illustrated in Schoolcraft.

AP, First Leverhulme Trust funded Pitt-Rivers project 1995-8 and March 2011