Way back I did have a hide version but rather buckled through damp storage. Now I have this shield I have to say it is beautifully made. Simple elegant and above all very functional, light enough to hold for hours. I have had the chance to examine with a x10 lens. I do not believe these are cut from oil barrels. The steel could well be outsider trade sheet steel but could just as easily have been made from African forms of trade steel either ingot or sheet as has already been mentioned by " napoleon " Also I would not like to be the one who says with any assumption of authority exactly when these shields came into use. I am uploading the page mentioned earlier in the thread from " Shields- Africa, Southeast Asia and Oceania, Collection of the Barbier-Mueller Museum. pub-Prestel " for the benefit of those who do not have it. I hope this is okay. Also a few pics of the shield with the correct type of close contact club and possible spear. The long spear with the small leaf shape blade would not be good once close to your target.
Last edited by Tim Simmons; 14th March 2013 at 12:16 PM.
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