Spear
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1858
label: Collection Date
content: 1838 to 1842
name: label: Donor Name
content: United States Exploring Expedition
notes: label: Notes
content: Peale catalogue describes # 68 and 69 as "War spears, the heads of which are beautifully wrought in damasked "woots", by the Sooloo [Sulu] Islanders [Philippines]; obtained from the Datu [chief, head of a tribe or clan] of Soung." Catalogue card identifies 69/E3899 as Malay, E. Ind. Archipelago. Has original Peale # label. "Damasked" is presumably Damasked steel or, more commonly, Damascus steel. "Woots", again refers to a type of steel, and is more properly spelled wootz. By these terms they are presumably indicating a form of steel often called watered steel, because of patterns on the steel reminiscent of flowing water.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 17 Oct 2016
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Sulu Islands (not certain), Philippines (not certain) / Indonesia (not certain)
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Malay (?)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 66A00050
label: USNM Number
content: E3899-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Spear
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 231 cm