Vintage Maasai Shields ?

Araña_del_Sol · 26th August 2023, 11:41 PM

Hi drac2k,

These shields could most definitely be from the Maasai people, here is a vintage photo of a warrior and a few shields from the British Museum

Maasai warrior: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collec...ct/EA_Af-B14-2
Shield 1: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collec...t/E_Af1904-233
Shield 2: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collec.../E_Af1944-05-5
Shield 3: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collec..._Af1936-0104-4

That being said, much of the material culture commonly attributed to the Maasai is also found among several neighboring people groups in Kenya and Tanzania including the Samburu, Kikuyu, Nyamwezi, Arusha, etc. Thus, either the undecorated and/or the decorated shield could come from a neighboring ethnic group.

- ADS

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26th August 2023, 11:41 PM	#1
Araña_del_Sol Member Join Date: Oct 2018 Posts: 54	Hi drac2k, These shields could most definitely be from the Maasai people, here is a vintage photo of a warrior and a few shields from the British Museum Maasai warrior: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collec...ct/EA_Af-B14-2 Shield 1: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collec...t/E_Af1904-233 Shield 2: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collec.../E_Af1944-05-5 Shield 3: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collec..._Af1936-0104-4 That being said, much of the material culture commonly attributed to the Maasai is also found among several neighboring people groups in Kenya and Tanzania including the Samburu, Kikuyu, Nyamwezi, Arusha, etc. Thus, either the undecorated and/or the decorated shield could come from a neighboring ethnic group. - ADS