Songye Ngabo shield
Songye African Art
A wooden shield called Ngabo of the Songye, decorated with bold, geometric forms and a miniature kifwebe mask to the centre. The surface is enhanced by white and black pigments. The kifwebe mask displays the characteristic forms of Songye art, such as the low, domed head, large, half open eyes and the projecting square mouth.
Shields were used for a number of reasons, most obviously during combat, as well as in hunting. The bold designs that are present on some shields would act as a means for someone to tell to which clan a warrior belonged to. Shields are also used in ritual performances, and it is possibly to this function that this unusual shield belongs. The addition of the kifwebe mask hints that it had a spiritual role, as these masks embody supernatural forces that are invoked to ward off threats to the community. It could be that this shield was owned by a high ranking warrior who invoked the power of the ancestors during armed conflict. The elegant design of its contours is enhanced by the bold opposition of the patterns.
01338
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Circa 1960
- Size
- 49 cm
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood, kaolin
- Country
- Origin
- Tribal art collection Belgium
- Condition
- Excellent
You might also like
Songye African Art
A wooden shield called Ngabo of the Songye, decorated with bold, geometric forms and a miniature kifwebe mask to the centre. The surface is enhanced by white and black pigments. The kifwebe mask displays the characteristic forms of Songye art, such as the low, domed head, large, half open eyes and the projecting square mouth.
Shields were used for a number of reasons, most obviously during combat, as well as in hunting. The bold designs that are present on some shields would act as a means for someone to tell to which clan a warrior belonged to. Shields are also used in ritual performances, and it is possibly to this function that this unusual shield belongs. The addition of the kifwebe mask hints that it had a spiritual role, as these masks embody supernatural forces that are invoked to ward off threats to the community. It could be that this shield was owned by a high ranking warrior who invoked the power of the ancestors during armed conflict. The elegant design of its contours is enhanced by the bold opposition of the patterns.