A major exhibition celebrating traditional Aboriginal shields has opened at The University of Queensland's Anthropology Museum.

'Shields: Design and functionality' brings together more than 130 shields traditionally used by Aboriginal people for demonstrations, conflict resolution and symbolic warfare.

The exhibition traces the history, artistic detail and regional differences of shields collected from communities across Australia, with many dating back to the early 1900s.

Historical pieces are displayed alongside works by contemporary Indigenous artists influenced by traditional designs, including Umpila, Djabugay/Yirrgay artist Bernard Singleton Jnr and Yidinji artist Paul Bong.

Mr Singleton reflected on the importance of continuing cultural practice.

"Exhibitions like Shields showcase the continuation of practice and culture, while keeping our knowledge systems at our core," he said.

"I hope visitors to the exhibition recognise there needs to be a stronger focus on traditional practices and revival of crafting."

Mr Bong spoke about presenting culture through contemporary materials.

"By combining traditional shield designs with contemporary materials and forms, I'm showing that our culture is still alive and evolving," he said.

"That's why I believe it's good to showcase my artwork in this way, it represents my identity, my culture, and the continuation of our stories through new mediums."

The exhibition also includes historical photographs of the people and places connected to the shields.

Images have been sourced from the Anthropology Museum, Fryer Library, The Royal Collection in the United Kingdom, the Peabody Museum in the United States, the National Archives of Australia, Queensland Museum and private collections.

One photograph shows an intricately decorated shield held by a man from the Hervey Bay area during the 1901 procession of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York in Brisbane.

Research has identified the shield has been part of the Queensland Museum collection since 1904.

Museum Director, Michael Aird, said the exhibition highlights regional variation in design.

"Our exhibition shows the variation in design depending on the region where the shields were created," he said.

"The shields from Brisbane have a much simpler design compared to those from the North Queensland rainforests, and by sorting the artefacts by region it allows us to bring together what we know about different regional styles."

Mr Aird explained the exhibition was inspired by research for a forthcoming book on Queensland shields.

"I realised that many of the shields in the museum's collection are unprovenanced - we don't know exactly where they came from - and there was also some misinformation," he said.

"For example, a database originally labelled one shield as originating from the Kimberley in Western Australia, but when we compared it with others that had similar designs it would have made more sense to have come from Southwest Queensland or North West New South Wales."

He said he hopes visitors leave with a stronger understanding of the cultural significance and diversity of shields across the continent.

'Shields: Design and functionality' is now open, running until September 4 2026.