Shield

For peoples in the peninsula of northeast Africa, hide-covered shields connote the courage of warriors and are important insignia of manhood. Among the Oromo and Sidaama peoples of southern Ethiopia, such shields are made of buffalo or, more rarely, hippopotamus hide by skilled specialists who mount the hide over a concave frame embedded with stones. At a man’s funeral his shield and spear may be carried by a male relative or displayed in his memory.