Woven Basketry Shield Depicting a Lizard
Poto / Southern Doko / Yamongo / Mbesa, D.R. Congo
Wood, rattan, pigment
Late 19th / early 20th century

This shield comes from the Poto, a culture related to the Ngombe and Doko, living on a narrow band along the Congo River from Lisala to Bumba. This type of shield was also sporadically found among neighboring cultures such as the Yamongo and Ndunga. The elongated, oval shield is strongly curved inwards above and beneath the handle board. The handle board is large, long, and rectangular (Baur & Elsen, Guba: Wicker Shields from the Congo Basin, 2002). 

While lizards are commonly depicted on central African weapons, this shield could be singular in its prominent representation of a lizard. 

InventoryID #13-2125

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