- Collection type
- Object
- Description
- Armlet shield worn by boys at initiation ceremonies. [CW [OPS move] 10/8/2016]
- Long description
- Armlet shield worn by boys at initiation ceremonies. The shield is elliptical in shape with a raised cylindrical arm hole section carved in relief. the top of the arm hole has a series of perforations. The central tow perforations have a twisted plant fibre loop threaded through them. The surface is decoratively carved a coloured with white pigment. The reverse of the shield has two carved semicircular sections coloured with white pigment and two triangular sections coloured with red around a central elliptical hole. [CW [OPS move] 10/8/2016]
- Cultural groups
- Kikuyu
- Date / Period
- Date made: Before 1910
- Date collected
- Between 1905 and 1910
- Acquisition information
- Donated: 1911
- Materials and processes
- Material Wood Plant, Material Pigment, Process Carved, Process Painted, Process Perforated
- Dimensions
- Width: max 365 mm, Height: max 103 mm, Length: max 550 mm
- Object numbers
- Accession number: 1911.11.8
- Research and responses
Ndome relate to Irua. Irua refers both to the initiation ceremony between childhood and adulthood, and the physical operation of circumcision central to it. Ndome are carved from wood with a ring which is worn under the left armpit, and the shield itself rises up over the shoulder. By contrast to this, practical Kikuyu war shields bear very little resemblance to the ndome, being leather and painted as close copies of the shields manufactured by their warrior-cultured Masai neighbours. For boys, Irua it takes place between the ages of 15 and 18. An uncircumcised boy (Kihi) could not own any possessions of their own; they were not permitted to socialise with circumcised youths (Mwanake); they could not fight as warriors for the clan; they could not marry; and they were not permitted to sleep in the Thingira – a house for initiated young men, where initiated boys and girls were permitted to have non-penetrative sexual relations. Several years of boys were circumcised at a single Irua. Children undergoing Irua were known as Ihoro. After circumcision, each new year of Mwanake are considered to belong to an Age Set (rika). Each rika is given a group name and has a local leader; members of the rika behave towards each other like brothers for life, and fight together in battle. The ceremony of Irua is lengthy, and the early parts comprise a number of dances, which culminate in the Matuumo or ‘Great Dance’. The ndome displayed here are an integral part of this phase. This is followed by the surgical operation itself, which takes place at a special ritual location known as the Iteri. Boys are expected to undergo the operation in silence, without flinching – in order to preserve their family honour. The operation is performed by a hereditary male specialist known as a muruithia. A period of seclusion follows, inside a closed house known as the Kiganda. The boys stay in the Kiganda for 4 to 9 days, and are taken care of by older initiated boys, before being allowed to return home to their parents. The Kiganda is burned down after each year. After circumcision, boys wear a skin robe to cover their genitals until the penis has healed, called nguo ya maribi. The removal of this robe shows they are open to the advances of initiated girls. Relevant Reading: Joyce, T.A. (1906) Note on a Series of Kikuyu ‘Ndomi’. In: Man, Vol.6, No.33, pp.49-51. Orde Brown, G.St.J. (1925) The Vanishing Tribes of Kenya. London: Seeley, Service & Co. Cagnolo, C. (1933) The Akikuyu: Their Customs, Traditions & Folklore. Nyeri, Kenya: Catholic Mission of the Consolate Fathers. Middleton, J. & Kershaw, G. (1965) The Kikuyu & Kamba of Kenya. London: International African Institute. Research Conducted for DCF Cutting Edge 2006/2007 [AM].
In 2020 the Pitt Rivers Museum was a partner in the project lead by the Horniman Museum 'Rethinking Relationships and Building Trust around African Collections' The project commissioned community researchers from Africa to develop new practice around Kenyan and Nigerian collections at the Horniman, the Pitt Rivers Museum, the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the World Museum in Liverpool. These comments are from community researcher Wamuyu Ian John Chris: "Processes: Carved out of a single piece of wood with a hole instead of a hand grip, was repainted many times as each new generation of boys prepared for initiation. Was worn on the upper left arm, used by boys prior to their initiation, later used for their war shields once they had achieved warrior status. [FB 11/1/2021]
Search terms: Ornament, Weapon, Ritual and Ceremonial, Children and Childcare, Arm Ornament, Shield, Ceremonial Object