Rare old shield ·  Togo / Benin, Tamberma (Batammaliba) · ID: 3047189

Description

rattan, grass fibre, leather,
In the mid-1980s, the well-known Afrrica traveller Gerd Chesi visited the towered loam castles of the Tamberma, living in the isolated Atacora Mountains in northern Togo and in the bordering regions of the Republic of
Benin.

He reported that these shields were used in often bloody ritual whip fights fought by young men of the “lifoni” society.

The object Rare old shield with the object ID 3047189 was last part of the auction 95th Tribal Art Auction at October 24, 2020 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 172.

You can find more Shields and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.

Comparing literature

Zirngibl, Manfred A. & Dieter Plaschke, Afrikanische Schilde, München 1992, p. 130