241140 - Extremely rare African Songye Bantu shield - Congo.
Tribal used african male KIFWEBE shield from the Songye, Congo, with extremely abstract face.
This type of shields serves the Kifwebe secret society and embodies a protecting spirit.
Hand carved from a single piece of wood.
High are 44 cm.
Songye shields are all carved from individual pieces of wood. The heads on the shields are related to the masks of the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Shields were used for a number of reasons, most obviously during battles and also during hunting. The striking designs present on some shields would serve as a means for someone to tell which clan a warrior belonged to. Shields are also used in ritual performances, in addition a type of scare shields were used where the head on the shield causes fear.