Aboriginal Gulmari Shield
Gulmari shield, originating from southwest Queensland and northwestern New South Wales, especially the Mackay region. These shields are smaller, heavier shields compared to the better known rainforest shields of northern Queensland
Known as Gulmari, Goomeri, or Gulmardi shields, these lesser-known pieces of Aboriginal art are often crafted from corkwood or kurrajong trees. The name “Gulmari” is linked to the small town of Goomeri in the South Burnett region. Galleries and auction houses commonly use gulmari it to describe this particular style. The town’s name is believed to come from an Aboriginal term meaning “broken shield,” though the exact language remains unidentified.
Unlike the larger, smoother rainforest shields, Gulmari or Goomeri shields are typically deeply incised with bold, relief-carved geometric patterns. These incisions create textured, multi-dimensional surfaces, as opposed to a single flat plane. The shields range in size from 45cm to 75cm, and they are decorated with intricate carvings directly etched into the wood. Typically, these shields are painted with a limited ochre palette, including black, maroon, yellow, brown, and orange.
If you have what you believe is an old Gulmari Shield please feel free to send me some images of front back and size along with dimensions and i will be happy to give you an estimate as to what it may be worth.
Gulmari shield: general information
The handle on a Gulmari shield does not like in Wunda shield or Rainforest shield rise above the plain of the shields back. The handle is carved into the back like those found on Central desert shields or Bardi shields. For this reason the Gulmari shield is comparatively thick
In western and north-central Queensland, shield designs show clear influences from the painted shields of eastern regions, blending with the linear patterns of the Central and Western Desert traditions. These shields are smaller, thicker, and often made from woods similar to those in desert regions.
Gulmari shields from far northern Queensland, around Cape York, tend to be simpler, slightly larger with vertically linear decorations and a limited color palette of red and white.
Gulmari shields from Northern New South Wales tend to be more intensely carved and often unpainted.
Literature on traditional aboriginal warfare is at best very limited but it is likely that these shields protected the user from thrown boomerangs as well being used to parry clubs and boomerangs used as clubs.
Very few shields have obvious combat damage.
There are very few people who collect gulmari shields but those who do are passionate and dedicated.
Regional styles of Gulmari Shield
The style of Gulmari shields varies from region to region. For example shields made bordering areas using Rainforest shields are often painted with similar colours and motifs as Rainforest shields. Shields made boardering the area using East Australian Broad shields are often unpainted and have incised motifs similar to east Australian Broad shields.
Conclusion
While the art traditions of the Central and Western Desert and the X-ray style of Arnhem Land are well-recognized, the shield designs from Queensland represent a sophisticated and highly developed artistic movement that deserves more recognition in the broader context of Australian Aboriginal art.
These shields, some dating back over 130 years, have witnessed immense social changes and upheaval brought about by European colonization. During the expansion of the Australian colonies, anthropologists, ethnographic collectors, and frontiersmen acquired Indigenous shields, weapons, and tools, often without recording details about their makers or cultural significance.
Today, Gulmari shields from the southwest of Queensland and northwestern New South Wales stand as a testament to the diverse cultural expressions of Aboriginal peoples in southeastern and south-central Queensland, deserving of wider recognition and appreciation.
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Further reading