Shield "olono", before 1915 · Kenya, Masai · ID: 3050314
sold
EUR 2,700
Provenance
Old German Colonial CollectionBerry de Bruijn, Breda, The Netherlands
Size
H: 118 cm
B: 61 cm
H: 46.5 inch
B: 24.0 inch
Description
buffalo-hide, colour pigments, old handwritten inscription on paper on the back, only fragmentarily preserved, remains of an old collection label ibid
Beautiful old example of a Masai shield “olono”. Two original repair marks testify to its long use.
The shield must have belonged to a proven warrior herder “moran” who used it to protect his community and herd. Only experienced warriors were allowed to use red colour to paint the shield. It was traditionally obtained by mixing earth in blood or the sap of the Solanum Campylae fruit.
Comparing literature
Zirngibl, Manfred A. & Dieter Plaschke, Afrikanische Schilde, München 1992, p. 38, ill. 18