Rare 19th Century Elephant Hide Warrior Shield from the Hadendoa people of the Beja Tribe from Sudan/Eritrea

Here on offer is a rare 19th century Elephant hide warrior shield made by the Hadendoa people of the Beja Tribe from Sudan/Eritrea.

This example is a museum quality piece!

The Hadendoa are a nomadic, pastoral people group, a major branch of the larger Beja people of eastern Sudan, Eritrea, and Egypt, known for their fierce warriors, distinctive hairstyles (earning them the "Fuzzy-wuzzy" nickname) and prominent role in the Mahdist War, where they fiercely fought British and Egyptian forces.

These shields were made in a variety of hides from different local animals, this one being made from thick Elephant "cobbled skin", which is the rarer of the hides used. It is known for its toughness and resilience.

The circular shaped shield has a prominent conical boss and two small holes at opposite sides near the edges. It is rare to find one with these holes still intact. They are normally split open to the outer edge.

The thick Elephant hide retains all of its natural deep cobbled skin graining to its finish and now has a dark aged patina.

The reverse has a hand stitched handle, crafted from the same hide with ingenious use of knotting and wrapping that holds it securely in place.

This shield is in excellent, museum quality condition and makes an impressive piece for any collector of African artifacts.

It measures 12” (30.5cm) diameter and measures 2” (5.1cm) high to the top of the boss.

It weighs 1Kg.

Please see my pictures for the details of the condition, which complement this description.

Please see my TERMS OF BUSINESS regarding Deliver Charges and Insurance regarding additional insurance cover, should you require it, BEFORE the item is dispatched.

The responsibility lies with the customer to check with your Customs restrictions that this item can be imported into your country.

Thanks for taking the time to look.

Code: 52129