African Maasai war shield (Ngao) – painted hide - Kenya
Size: 59 cm high and 38 wide - Kenya, c. 1965–1968

Pastoralist Maasai from the grasslands of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania used such shields in warfare, hunting, and rites of passage.

Oval Maasai shield (ngao), made of dried cowhide stretched over a wooden frame, featuring a central wooden crossbar on the back serving as a handle, secured with braided leather or sinew straps.

The front is painted with traditional geometric motifs: wavy bands in yellow, red, white, and black along the edge, and a central diamond-shaped motif with yellow "leaf shapes" surrounding a red core. A vertical seam of braided leather runs down the center, a characteristic feature of this type of shield's construction. The rim is stitched or bound with leather strips.

Among the Maasai, such shields traditionally served as status symbols and a means of identification: color and pattern indicated the age-set or clan to which a warrior (*moran*) belonged. Today, they are primarily collected as decorative cultural objects and curiosities.

In good vintage condition, with signs of use consistent with age; the paint is somewhat weathered or worn in places.

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.