SOLOMON ISLANDS PALM WOOD BOW

57” length, tapered from the center to the pointed terminals and cut from the interface of the heart wood and sap wood. The surface scraped fashion with sea shells as with precontact examples. The ends with finely woven split cand stops forming nocks. Excellent with great age character. Whalers visited the islands during the 18th century trading for provisions. In the 19th century, many island inhabitants were kidnapped for forced labor in Australia. The term “precontact” has been used to identify items made by historic methods without the use of tools or materials. In most cases, initial European contact did not generate widespread change. The Solomons comprise hundreds of inhabited islands a few of which with safe harbors hosted contact with Europeans. The more remote islands remained relatively unchanged until the colonial period after 1883.