Olono, Masai Shield. Leather, wood natural colouring.
94 x 61 cm. Antwerp Ethnographic Museum, Belgium.

The social structures among the Masai, a people of herdsmen from Kenya and Tanzania, is based largely on division into different age groups. Men between the ages of 15 and 30 belong to the group of warriors or ol marani. Following circumcision, a youth is initiated into warriorship, which consists of completing a series of stages (age limits) called ol boror. The period of fame of a warrior comes to a close with a view to marriage, which follows shortly afterwards.

Warriors can be recognised by their clothes and the other attributes of their class. Their strong shields are made of very hard dried cow hide. They are used in armed conflicts and during traditional lion hunting. The signs painted on the shields indicate which clan each warrior belongs to, as well as the stage of warriorship he has reached. In this way, an opponent knows immediately whom he is facing. These painting are very rich in style, also because of the fashions they are now subject to. Formerly however, young warriors could only paint motifs in black on their shields. Red was reserved for the older morani, who had already proved their bravery on numerous occasions.
Purely decorative shields are being made for quite some time in response to the demand for souvenirs from the many tourists who have been visiting Kenya for a number of decades already.

Anja Veirman
Ethnographic Museum, Antwerp

Bibliography

• MERKER, M. 1904. Die Masai. Berlin, Dietrich Reimar. (pp. 60-60, 70-82)
• VON GAGERN, Axel Freiherr, KOLOSS, Hans-Joachim & LOHSE, Wulf. 1974. Ostafrika. Figuur und Ornament. Hamburg, Hamburgisches Museum fhr V`lkerkunde. (pp. 69, 70)
• PLASCHKE, Dieter & ZIRNGIBL, A. Manfred. 1992. Afrikanische Schilde. Munchen, Panterra-Verlag. (pp. 36-41)