[The Double D]

From A.T. Bryant The Zulu People:

Then there was the shield-maker. There were several varieties of shield—war-shields (isiHlangu), hunting-shields (iHubelo), dance-shields (IHawu), and simple dress or promenad-ing-shields (umDlela ; iNgcayi). Several of these might be cut from the one hide ; which, of course, was supplied by the customer. For the large war-shields, the thickest part of the hide, along the back, was selected. After the beast had been slaughtered, and while the hide was still wet from the body, the owner cut out pieces sufficiently large for the shields he wanted, and pegged them out to dry. When thoroughly dry, the pieces were buried beneath the dampened earth inside the cattle-fold, and there left to supple for a day. After exhumation, they were well beaten everywhere on the inner (not hairy) side with a round stone pebble. At this point the professional shield-cutter was engaged, who from the rough pieces of material skilfully cut out the shields as ordered. Thereafter he made the usual double row of horizontal slits (iGdbelo), two inches broad and three-quarters of an inch apart, down the centre of the shield. In a vertical direction, over and under, these slits, he then slipped a couple of suitable strips of hide. This arrangement had the effect of doubling the thickness of the hide along the whole central part, where the shield was held and the stick-blows most frequently received. At the back of the shield, exactly down its centre, between the two rows of slits, a stick ran vertically along the whole length of the shield, being held in position by being passed beneath three or four horizontal, tightly fixed, leathern loops. This stick conferred on the shield perfect rigidity throughout its whole length. A separate leathern loop (isa-Ndla) was placed, running vertically, about the centre of the back, through which (and under the stick alongside) two or three fingers of the left hand were passed, when holding the shield.

Eileen Jensen Krige The Social Social System of the Zulu's Gives these descriptions of shields.

isiHlangu.War-shield, four and a half feet by two and a half feet.

iHuBelo. Large-sized shield used for hunting (smaller than
isiHlangu, larger than iHawu).

iHawu. Small shield, used at dances, two feet by one foot.

umBumbuluso. War-shield about three and a half feet long by two feet
wide, made in 1856 for Cetshwayo's followers against his brother MBulaze. More sturdy and less unwieldy than isiHlangu.

Gqoka.Small, neat shield for courting (twelve by eight inches).

Gabelomunye. Smallest shield (nine by nine inches).5

You should be able to see if your shield fits the Zulu pattern from this