The Pig Arrow or 'Éla-da'. Photographer: Portman, Maurice Vidal
Scope & Content:
Genre: Ethnographical Photography Andaman Islander carrying a bundle of branches for making arrows. The caption continues: 'The pig arrow is a more complicated and important weapon. Thin suckers, or branches, are cut from certain trees, and it is necessary that they should be fairly straight wi...
[Making arrows, South Andamans.] The shaft is then held as shown in this illustration, and the bark scraped off with a Cyrena shell. The shell is held with the inside nearest the wood, and is pulled towards the operator. Photographer: Portman, Maurice Vidal
[Making arrows, South Andamans.] When the bark is off, the arrow shaft is roughly straightened between the teeth, thus. Photographer: Portman, Maurice Vidal
[Making arrows, South Andamans.] The shafts are then heated over a small fire, and straightened by hand. The straightness is judged by the eye, as in the picture, and when satisfactory the shafts are stood up round the fire as shown, to dry slowly. Photographer: Portman, Maurice Vidal
[Making arrows, South Andamans.] They have one end notched to prevent the fingers from slipping when holding them, and a nick is cut for the bow string at the same end. Photographer: Portman, Maurice Vidal
Scope & Content:
Genre: Ethnographical Photography Close-up of hand holding arrow head. Caption continues: 'The shaft is then whipped with twine just above this nick, to prevent it from splitting.'
[Making arrows, South Andamans. Attaching the arrow head to the shaft.] Photographer: Portman, Maurice Vidal
Scope & Content:
Genre: Ethnographical Photography Close-up view of head being attached to shaft with cord whipping. The letterpress gives a detailed description of the process.
Portman Collection: Andamanese Islanders, Vol. V. Photographer(s): Portman, Maurice Vidal
Scope & Content:
Maroon half-leather bound volume measuring 405 x 35 0mm containing 28 platinum prints mounted one to a page, with letterpress captions of varying lengths pasted beneath each image. The thick card pages of the album are somewhat bowed.