Masai - 220953 - Large 80 cm - Antique Extremely RARE Massai shield - Tanzania - Sold

Extremely rare Heavy Antique Massai shield with decorations, more then 100 years old
Height: 80 cm high and collected in 1921 from an Belgium collector.
Pastoralist Maasai from the grasslands of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania used such shields in warfare, hunting, and rites of passage. 
A buffalo hide sewn onto a wooden frame is the convex elliptical canvas onto which an artist traced rich polychrome geometric patterns: two large crescents symmetrically positioned on either side of a central vertical band composed of alternating triangles. The motifs identified the owner's position within a complex lineage system. 
Called sirata, many of these symbolic motifs have fallen into disuse and are poorly understood by contemporary Maasai. Several elements relate this shield to a proven warrior herder. 
This prestigious sign is conferred only with the permission of a high-ranking chief.