Shield

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Description

cut from a single piece of light wood, blackened, carved with three prongs above and two below the central body, vertical protrusion along the midrib, animal sinews used for strengthening the body, carved handle backside, rep. (continuous crack, spread with mass, partly fixed by nails);
a warrior went into battle with a steel battle axe, between one and three steel or wooden spears, and a wooden shield like the present one, which was used both for parrying and attacking. In Cordillera highland culture the practice of head-hunting was a prerequisite for ceremonies performed during planting, harvesting, funerals, marriages and house construction. Successful head-takers gained prestige and reached certain levels of social rank.

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Littérature comparée

Barbier, Jean Paul, Benitez-Johannot, P., Shields, München, London, New York 2000, p. 138, ill. 51

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