South Australian Museum

Along with other references to popular culture, many shields started incorporating the comic strip character known as ‘The Phantom’.
The Phantom comic strip was originally created by the American Lee Falk in 1936. Living deep in the Bangalla jungle of Africa, the Phantom was a super hero who helped protect indigenous people from colonial forces. In 1972 a Papua New Guinean newspaper began publishing copies of The Phantom comic strip translated into the local pidgin language. Falk’s super hero subsequently became a popular figure of indigenous power in the region, as evidenced by his appearance in shield designs.
The South Australian Museum collection contains one of these Phantom shields, which includes a pidgin translation of the Phantom’s famous catchcry ‘man ino save dai’ [man who never dies].

Stephen Zagala
Research Fellow, World Cultures