Woven Basketry Shield, Vara or Wola
Yakoma / Ngbandi / Sango / Mbugbu, Central African Republic / D.R. Congo
Wood, rattan, pigment
Early 20th century

The standard equipment of the Ngbandi, Sango, Yakoma, and Mbugbu warriors included long oval shields made of dense rattan mesh with wooden grip panels on the back. These ethnic groups live in the border area between the southern Central African Republic and the northern Democratic Republic of Congo. Called vara or wola, these shields typically display a variety of patterns that are symmetrical with high contrast between light and dark (Felix, Low, & Lu (Eds.), Fatal Beauty: Traditional Weapons from Central Africa, 2013 [Black edition]; Lefebvre, The Throwing Knives: The Southern Knives (Volume 2), 2020; Zirngibl & Kubetz, Panga Na Visu, 2009).  

50.25 in :: 128 cm

InventoryID #13-2007

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