Embossed Hippopotamus Shield
Amarro, Ethiopia
Hippopotamus hide, leather
Early 20th century

Round shields of this type, made of embossed hippopotamus leather, were used by the Amarro, who were known in earlier literature at Koira and Badittu. The Frobenius Institute reported that Ometo groups living on the Gatami and Gidico islands, not the Amarro themselves, manufactured and traded these shields for food (Barbier, Boyer, Benitez-Johannot, Shields: Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, 2000). 

26 in :: 66 cm

InventoryID #13-1863

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