Santali spiked parrying shield

[Osca]

Hi all,

I picked up this shield from auction a few years back out of intense curiosity. Such an imaginative design, but is it practical?

Online research seems to place it from East India, with the people of Santal, Santhal or Sontal.

Mandarin Mansions offered up some fascinating insight into a similar shield of concave form, with some suggestion of it being a bullet stopper.

I've not found any pictures of a parry shield exactly like this one, other than past auction pics of this particular piece (it seems to have done some travelling).

I didn't have to fight hard to bag it at auction, which surprised me as although it's clearly not fancy, it's a pleasing example of combination/imaginative arms.

[Battara]

You have a nice complete, and spiked example there.

Here is mine for comparison.

[Osca]

Thanks for posting Battara.

Could I ask - is your example convex? Does the rim protrude out beyond the centre?

[Battara]

Oh yes. Would have an interesting effect on attacking swords.

These are rare, and yours is a rare variant of the rare.

[Jim McDougall]

This is an absolutely fascinating example! and would seem of course perhaps to be 'one off' but for Battara's example posted (Thank you Jose!). This suggests that there must have been a certain convention for shields/bucklers with these curious added features.

Notable (and seen on both examples) is the hook, which rather than being a potential 'weapon' such as the spike and knife, would be perhaps thought of to snag or grab something, i.e. a weapon? This notion , while often suggested toward weapons features for such purposes, has not as far as I know, has not been proven viably.

Indian arms makers have it seems always been innovative, and the creation of combination arms has long been notably in place, it seems often to impress more often than to be effective in actual combat. Obviously not to say these features could not have been effective, however, in most cases, likely arms of this character were more for visual effect in certain events in the manner of gatherings of court notables etc. The British 'Imperial durbars' were the formal examples of these kinds of gatherings (1877, 1903 and 1911) and these brought the armorers of various regions to show their wares and these kinds of examples among others brought notable attention.

I think of the curious warrior of India looking quite terrifying with huge sword and adorned with spiked armor (uncertain where the image posted is from but seemed interesting as example).

My interest in this shield is very piqued! and I hope there will be more discussion......I am anxious to get to my books!

Thank you again Osca! .........hope we can pursue further!

[Jim McDougall]

Found this example, 19th c. from Assam.Egerton, 1896, p.91, cat.#216

Reminds me of the 'maru,madu, singuata' of Maratha, Bhil people west India.....which is a buckler mounted with opposed roebuck (antelope) horns used for parrying. It seems these were on occasion mounted with spikes. These kinds of weapons were akin to the creatively fashioned arms believed to be carried by fakirs (religious mendicants) who were not allowed to carry traditional 'weapons'. It seems there were variants such as the fakirs 'crutch' which had a spike etc. These kinds of weapons evolved into the dual bladed 'haladie' which while has been known as the knife often seen in Sudanese context, it generally held to have had Rajput origins.

It seems perhaps the concept of these bucklers might have earlier western India origins, via the Marathas, Rajputs, into Punjab and of course incursions eastward in earlier times, with these examples of bladed and spiked bucklers likely 19th c.

[David R]

Reminds me of some of the 16th and 17th cent. spiked and hooked targes and bucklers in Western Europe.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by David R

Reminds me of some of the 16th and 17th cent. spiked and hooked targes and bucklers in Western Europe.

Any examples? Not familiar with bucklers etc and the hook seems odd.