- Collection type
- Object
- Description
- Shield of hide. Flat shield with edges tapering towards the top. The Edges are rolled. There is cross-shaped decoration cut or burnt into the hide. There is a handle of hide attached by knots on the underside of the shield. [AB [OPS Move] 26/9/2016]
- Long description
- Shield of hide, white oryx, with arm strap on back and decoration on front. [MJD 28/10/2014]
- Cultural groups
- Tuareg Berber
- Person
- Field collector Francis James Rennell Rodd
- Field collector Buchanan-Rodd Expedition
- PRM source Francis James Rennell Rodd
- Date / Period
- Date made: Possibly before 1922
- Date collected
- ?1922
- Acquisition information
- Donated: 1924
- Materials and processes
- Material Animal Hide Skin, Material Pigment, Process Stitched, Process Painted
- Dimensions
- Width: max 785 mm, Length: max 1320 mm, Depth: max 62 mm
- Object numbers
- Accession number: 1924.23.1
- Research and responses
Made from white oryx hide, dried in the sun to thicken and harden it, and shaved to remove the fur. Oryx hide indicates that this shield was probably made in Elakkos or Damergu, further north on the border with Niger. The oryx was a symbol of military victory throughout the southern Sahara. Tuareg shields are too large to wield on the arm, or move quickly, and in combat were held relatively rigidly by a strap two-thirds of the way up the shield. Camel saddles were carved with a special hook to suspend the shield when not in use. There is debate about the significance of the incised decoration on the front of Tuareg shields. These designs are also found in the rock art of the western Sahara. Some authorities argue they are a form of heraldic or armorial device, indicating clan affiliations among the Tuareg. Others argue they are amulets intended to fend off Tehot – the Evil Eye. The most convincing explanation is that they represent Izez – “The Vulture God Who Slaughters the Foe” – a Tuareg war deity, closely linked to the Arabic and Persian vulture war-god Aziz. As such, they likely represent a form of divine invocation. Relevant Reading: Harding King, W.J. (1903) A Search for the Masked Tawareks. London: Smith, Elder & Co. Rodd, F.R. (1926) People of the Veil. London: Macmillan & Co. Keenan, J. (1977) The Tuareg: People of Ahaggar. London: Allen Lane. Research Conducted for DCF Cutting Edge 2006/2007 [AM].
1924.23.1
Shield of hide. Flat shield with edges tapering towards the top. The Edges are rolled. There is cross-shaped decoration cut or burnt into the hide. There is a handle of hide attached by knots on the underside of the shield. [AB [OPS Move] 26/9/2016]
1924.23.1
Digital asset copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford
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