Mark--
Thank you for your kind words. I very much enjoy the shield as well, and it will take a place of honor in my collection (possibly as a background to my rack of kiem).
Thank you for the Borri quote. I am aware of the book but have not read it myself (although, I believe Cornell University is reprinting it in the near future, along with Samuel Baron's accounts of Vietnam from the late 17th century). It certainly seems like Borri is describing my form of shield, but probably the rattan version. My shield is far too heavy to be described as, "being so light...that they are nothing cumbersome."
I'm attaching an image from the Baron book (again, haven't read it, but I found some images reprinted elsewhere) which depicts military drills. Again, I blew up the relevant detail of shield fighting. Judging from the fighting posture of the opponent on the left, I suspect these were also rattan shields (I can't imagine hauling my heavy wooden shield over my head like this). For reference's sake, this image is from: A DESCRIPTION OF THE KINGDOM OF TONQUEEN, Samuel Baron, 1685.
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