{{Short description|Traditional cowhide shield used in southeastern Africa}} [[File:Annals of the South African Museum = Annale van die Suid-Afrikaanse Museum (1972) (17794609233).jpg |thumb |right |250px|{{Collapsible list | title = {{center|Various shields of the Xhosa}} | '''1.''' ''ikhawu'' with staff 117 cm and hide 95 cm, 1935, Lusikisiki | '''2.''' Retainer of chief, with shield, 1870s, Queenstown | '''3.''' ''ikhawu'' of a diviner, 1948, Mount Frere | '''4.''' An early, blunt oval-shaped Xhosa shield, c.1805 | '''5.''' ''ikhawu'' with staff 127 cm and hide 108 cm, 1948, Mount Frere }}]] A '''Nguni shield''' is a traditional, pointed oval-shaped, ox or cowhide shield which is used by various ethnic groups among the Nguni people of southern Africa. Currently it is used by diviners or for ceremonial and symbolic purposes,<ref name="shaw"/> and many are produced for the tourist market.<ref name="Ulwazi-1">{{cite web|title=Telling your Igqoka from Your Isihlangu |url=http://ulwaziprogramme.org/blog/2016/09/telling-your-igqoka-from-your-isihlangu/|website=Ulwazi blog | date = 6 September 2016 |publisher=The Ulwazi Programme|access-date=21 September 2016}}</ref> A cow-hide shield is known as '''''isihlangu''''', '''''ihawu''''' or '''''ingubha''''' in Zulu,<ref name="dekk">{{cite book |last1=Dekker |first1=A. M. |last2=Ries |first2=J. H. |title=Woordeboek / IsiChazimazwi, IsiBhunu - IsiZulu |date=1958 |publisher=Afrikaanse Pers-Boekhandel (APB) |page=164}}</ref> and '''''ikhaka''''' or '''''ikhawu''''' in Xhosa.
Strictly speaking, these native names denote shields of different application, and additional types are known by other names. War shields were traditionally stockpiled by a chief or king, to whom they belonged, while a smaller shield was reserved for his subordinates' personal daily use, or as a complement at their dancing ceremonies.
True Nguni shields are made of raw cattle hide,<ref name="wood" /> as the esteemed Sanga-Nguni cattle lend distinction to the shields, which are more than mere commodities for physical protection.
==Varieties== Amongst the Zulus, there are various named varieties of these shields, each with a specific use.<ref name="Krige">{{cite book|last1=Krige |first1=Eileen Jensen |title=The Social System of the Zulus|date=1988 |publisher=Longmans, Green and Company [1936] |page=403 }}</ref> The large war shield, of about {{convert|5|ft|m}} in length, is known as an ''isihlangu'',<ref name="Ulwazi-1"/> which means "to brush aside".<ref name="suth"/>{{rp|29–30}} It was king Shaka's shield of choice, and he intended his warriors to use it in an offensive way by hooking the opponent's shield during hand-to-hand fighting.<ref name="suth"/>{{rp|29–30}} The ''umbumbuluzo'' was also a war shield, but only {{convert|3.5|ft|m}} in length, and more sturdy than the ''isihlangu''. They were easily held in one hand,<ref name="Ulwazi-1"/> and were used in 1856 during Cetshwayo's campaign against Mbuyazi. The ''ihubelo'' is a large shield used for hunting, smaller than ''isihlangu'', but larger than the ''ihawu''. The ''ihawu'' is a small to medium-sized shield used at dances.<ref name="dekk"/>{{rp|318}} The ''igqoka'' is a small, neat shield for courting, and the ''igabelomunye'' is the smallest decorative shield,<ref name="oost">{{cite web |last1=Oosthuizen |first1=Marguerite Poland | author-link = Marguerite Poland |title=Uchibidolo: the abundant herds: a descriptive study of the Sanga-Nguni cattle of the Zulu people, with special reference to colour-pattern terminology and naming-practice |url= http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10413/8490/Oosthuizen_Marguerite_Poland_1996_V_1.pdf | website=researchspace.ukzn.ac.za |publisher=(Thesis) University of Natal | date = December 1996 |pages= 105, 112, 113–116, 124–125, 127}}</ref> which may be used as an accessory to dancing.<ref name="suth"/>{{rp|29}}
==Traditional use== A shield was carried in the left hand,<ref name="shaw">{{cite journal|last1=Shaw|first1=E. M.|last2=Van Warmelo |first2=N. J. |title=The Material Culture of the Cape Nguni: Shields |journal=Annals of the South African Museum |date=1980 |volume=53 |issue=3 |pages = 327–334 |access-date=23 September 2016 |url=https://archive.org/stream/annalsofsou5819721981sout/#page/327/mode/1up}}</ref> as the only piece of defensive armour used by the Nguni.<ref name="wood">{{cite book|title=The uncivilized races of men in all countries of the world, Chapter XII, War - defensive weapons, and mode of fighting |isbn=9785878634595 |page=108 |date=1870 |url=https://archive.org/stream/uncivilizedraces01wood/uncivilizedraces01wood#page/114/mode/1up |publisher=Рипол Классик |last1=Wood |first1=J. G.}}</ref> Its use was practiced from boyhood, by means of stick fighting. Its primary function was to deflect spears, assegais or Khoisan arrows, but they were also carried during lion or leopard hunts.<ref name="shaw"/> King Shaka's warriors bashed their opponents with the shield to knock them off balance, or alternatively used it to hook the opponents shield away, to enable a stab with the assegai.<ref name="suth"/>{{rp|32}}
Shields could also be used to confuse the enemy; the Zulu army used the shields of their enemies to disguise themselves, and cause bewilderment among enemy ranks.<ref name="oost"/>{{rp|124–125}} Likewise the vanquished enemy at times took up Zulu shields to hide their identity until they could make their escape.<ref name="wood"/> King Dingane's general Bongoza advised his warriors to hide behind shields and imitate grazing cattle,<ref name = dhl/> in which way they lured Boer commandos into valleys and into striking distance.
It was used as protection against the weather, or as bivouac shelters when the Xhosa or Fengu armies camped out.<ref name="shaw"/> When a king was sitting in the open, his subordinates would hold one or several shields over him to shade him from the sun. They were also used during dancing routines, at weddings or as a screen at a bridal procession.<ref name="shaw"/> During consultation of a diviner they were beaten like drums.
Its use went in decline when firearms were introduced to hostilities. When lions and leopards were exterminated by firearms, it also lost its usefulness in hunting. By 1835 it is said to have been discarded by the Xhosa in their conflicts with Europeans.<ref name="shaw"/> Baines (1851, 1852) and Weitz (1873) however observed their use among the Mpondo many years later. By the 1870s the Zulus were exporting large quantities of cowhides to obtain firearms and this also decreased the supply.<ref name="suth"/>{{rp|30}}
==Role and deployment in tribal life== thumb|right|205px|A shield denoted power, law and justice. The shield that shaded a resting king's head was a metaphor for the protection that he and his shield afforded his kingdom. A king could command immediate attention, or start or call off an attack by simply raising his shield.<ref name = dhl/> War shields, unlike assegais,<ref name="suth"/>{{rp|32}} were usually stockpiled by a king or chief, to be distributed in times of need.<ref name="shaw"/><ref name="oost"/>{{rp|113}} Besides its defensive role, the shield was a standard or coat of arms of the tribe. Consequently, King Shaka meted out serious punishment to warriors who lost them. A warrior's duty was to return his shield to the king as a matter of honour and patriotism – to leave them in enemy hands or on foreign soil brought ill fame.<ref name="shaw"/><ref name = dhl>{{cite web|last1=Dhlomo |first1=Herbert Isaac Ernest |title=The Shield in Tribal Life |access-date=23 September 2016 |url=http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10413/8490/Oosthuizen_Marguerite_Poland_1996_V_1.pdf }}</ref>
The colours of shields were chosen specifically by the Zulu king, and the national cattle herd was selected and bred with these hide preferences in mind.<ref name="oost"/>{{rp|105}} King Shaka favoured hides from cattle in Jobe's country near Mzinyati in Nkandla district.<ref name="oost"/>{{rp|112}} King Mpande's large herd was divided according to colour-pattern and King Cetshwayo kept a large herd of white oxen near oNgoye Forest, the so-called ''inyonikayipumuli'' or 'bird that never rests'. This valued herd was confiscated and dispersed when Cetshwayo was deposed.<ref name="oost"/>{{rp|112}}
Tribal belief would have it that the qualities and properties of the valuable and revered ''inkomo'' would naturally be transferred to the shield, as like produces like.<ref name="oost"/>{{rp|113}} A shield's believed qualities included the supernatural. A shield treated with ''intelezi'' or ''umuthi'' medicine for efficacy, was not to fall into enemy hands, as the enemy would in turn be protected by it. A shield that bore the mark of the spear that killed the cattle was most coveted as it was believed to be the most powerful.<ref name="suth">{{cite book|last1=Sutherland |first1=Jonathan |last2=Canwell |first2=Diane |title=The Zulu kings and their armies |date=2004|publisher=Pen & Sword Military |location=Barnsley |isbn=9781844150601 |edition=1}}</ref>{{rp|82–83}} The shield also played a role in the king's purification ceremony after a battle. It ritually cleansed him from possible defilement through contact with the enemy, and strengthened him.<ref name="oost"/>{{rp|113}}
It was in addition a symbolic object. When a man of note died, his comrades lowered their shields in a display of reverence and tribute. It also acted as insignia of age and veteran status. Regiments of married men,<ref>The right to marry was bestowed by the king</ref> some 18 during Cetshwayo's reign, were entitled to wear a headring and carried white shields, made from hides of the ''inyonikayipumuli'' herd. King Mpande's royal Tulwana veterans likewise carried completely white shields, as white and grey suggested wisdom.<ref name="suth"/>{{rp|30}} Warriors of bachelor regiments, some 15 during Cetshwayo's reign, carried black or patterned shields.<ref name="wood"/><ref name="oost"/>{{rp|113–114}} The black colour suggested youth and strength.<ref name="suth"/>{{rp|30}} Shields with specific patterns were known by names like ''insane'', ''imitshezi'' and ''nkone'', and regiments were distinguished this way. The colours also assisted in knowing who was in command during the confusion of fighting.<ref name="Ulwazi-1"/>
Young men carried a small decorative ''igqoka'' when courting, to enhance their dignity and manliness.<ref name="oost"/>{{rp|114}} In rituals related to ''Nomkhubulwana'' ceremonies, young girls in role reversal took over their brothers' task as cowherds.<ref name="Bryc">{{cite book|last1=Bryceson|first1=Deborah Fahy |last2=Okely |first2=Judith |last3=Webber |first3=Jonathan Meir |title=Identity and Networks: Fashioning Gender and Ethnicity Across Cultures |date=2007 |publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=9781845451615|page=175}}</ref> They would briefly carry sticks and shields, herd cattle and take on the authority that a shield would imply.<ref name="oost"/>{{rp|114}}
==Fashioning== Shields were fashioned by artisans that were conversant in the colours assigned to the regiments.<ref name="wood"/> Their production by specialists was perhaps a later trend, as Alberti (1810) noted that every Xhosa man of military age had to make his own, to be handed to the chief for safekeeping in a special hut.<ref name="shaw"/> Sometimes a hide was treated and buried for a few days.<ref name="suth"/>{{rp|30}} Otherwise it was just pegged out in the sun to dry. Then a rounded stone was used to pound it into a hollow shape, which also toughened it, before it was cut to shape.<ref name="shaw"/> A war shield required most of an ox-hide, and ornamental shields or other raw hide commodities could be made from the leavings.<ref name="shaw"/><ref name="oost"/>{{rp|124–125}}
A double row of contrasting marks down the center of the shield, known as ''imigabelo'' (singular: ''umgabelo''), are both ornamental and a convenient way of fastening the handle.<ref name="wood"/> They are crafted by passing contrastingly coloured strips of hide through a double row of slits, which are cut while the hide is still wet and pliant. Thong loops tie the strips and the shield's handle to a stout removable staff, known as the ''mgobo'', which runs down the center of the shield.<ref name="Ulwazi-1"/> It is long enough to project at both ends, and strengthens the shield and prevents it from bending. It also assists the warrior or dancer to swing it about rapidly. The shield can be rested on the lower projection of the staff when a warrior is tired. The lower projection could also be sharpened to stab at the legs of an enemy combatant.<ref name="suth"/>{{rp|29–30}} The shield should be tall enough that the warrior can just glance over its top.<ref name="wood"/> The top of the stick reaches the crown of the warrior's head, and is decorated by strips of furry skin which are wound around it. The Mpondos used black ostrich feathers instead.<ref name="shaw"/>
==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed" heights="124px"> File:Flag_of_Swaziland.svg|A Nguni shield features prominently on the Flag of Eswatini File:Mantenga Swazi Cultural Village (3).jpg|Swazi dancers with ''amahawu'' (singular: ''ihawu''), or personal shields<ref name="suth"/>{{rp|30}} File:Zulu male ready for the wedding dance Wellcome M0005308.jpg|Zulu man with an ''igqoka'', used during courting File:Princess Swaziland 014.jpg|Swazi royals with small, ornamental shields, i.a. associated with ''Nomkhubulwana'' ceremonies<ref name="oost"/>{{rp|115}} </gallery>
==See also== *Nguni cattle
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category|Nguni shields}}
{{Africa Weapons}}
Category:Nguni Category:Shields Category:African weapons