Bagobo shield
 

I added a Bagobo shield to my personal collection.
Its nice decorated and however I have to restore some parts I glad to have one. Also this shield doesn't have the upperpart ( I know now what you mean,Bill ) .I have notiched that there are many shields without. Does anyone know why?

Wow Arjan. That is indeed a wonderful shield.
I am soooo happy you bought it. :D

I thought about the missing upperpart. And I turned the question. Why is there a lower part?
I looked on old Bagobo warrior pics and the one with the shields I found were standing with the shields on the ground, leaning with one arm on the shield. I could imagine that an unequal level of the ground will be compensated with the round lower part. I will sent you some pics, cause when I make them smaller and attach them, it is hardly to see!

At the other hand I think in a fight I will better like to put my chin on a straigt upperpart than on a round upperpart, cause at the sides a little of my neck will be vunarable because of the roundings.

But both are guesses.

Maurice

Hi Maurice, thanks for the pics! Indeed there the shields are just that size that you automatically are leaning on it in rest position.The construction is also quite fragile seen to the remains of the pin construction.On the other way are repairs on tribal shields certainly not uncommon ( see bontoc shields for example) so I can't believe that a Bagobo never repaired such a piece when it broke off. On the other way I read somewhere that these shield where also where fastened on the wall and on bamboo prayer stands as gifts of appeasement.Once given these gifts became permanent possesions of the deities and could never be removed from the altar. I don't have seen pics about that so I don't know if it this could be a reason for the loss of all those upperparts?

source ; Shields from the collections of the Barbier-Mueller Museum

Arjan.