Nguni shield

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,[1] and many
are produced for the tourist market.[2] A cow-hide shield is
known as isihlangu, ihawu or ingubha in Zulu,[3] 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,[4] as the

esteemed Sanga-Nguni cattle lend distinction to the shields,
which are more than mere commodities for physical protection.

Varieties
Various shields of the Xhosa
Amongst the Zulus, there are various named varieties of these
1. ikhawu with staff 117 cm and
shields, each with a specific use.[5] The large war shield, of hide 95 cm, 1935, Lusikisiki
about 5 feet (1.5 m) in length, is known as an isihlangu,[2]
2. Retainer of chief, with shield,
which means "to brush aside".[6]: 29–30 It was king Shaka's 1870s, Queenstown
shield of choice, and he intended his warriors to use it in an
3. ikhawu of a diviner, 1948, Mount
offensive way by hooking the opponent's shield during hand-
Frere
to-hand fighting.[6]: 29–30 The umbumbuluzo was also a war
shield, but only 3.5 feet (1.1 m) in length, and more sturdy than 4. An early, blunt oval-shaped
Xhosa shield, c.1805
the isihlangu. They were easily held in one hand,[2] and were
used in 1856 during Cetshwayo's campaign against Mbulazi. 5. ikhawu with staff 127 cm and
The ihubelo is a large shield used for hunting, smaller than hide 108 cm, 1948, Mount Frere
isihlangu, but larger than the ihawu. The ihawu is a small to
medium-sized shield used at dances.[3]: 318 The igqoka is a
small, neat shield for courting, and the igabelomunye is the smallest decorative shield,[7] which may be used
as an accessory to dancing.[6]: 29

Traditional use
A shield was carried in the left hand,[1] as the only piece of defensive armour used by the Nguni.[4] 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.[1] 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.[6]: 32 The midiam shield (ihawu) was used for dancing.
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.[7]: 124–125 Likewise the vanquished enemy at
times took up Zulu shields to hide their identity until they could make their escape.[4] King Dingane's
general Bongoza advised his warriors to hide behind shields and imitate grazing cattle,[8] 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.[1] 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.[1] 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.[1] 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.[6]: 30

Role and deployment in tribal life

War shields, unlike assegais,[6]: 32 were usually stockpiled by a king
or chief, to be distributed in times of need.[1][7]: 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.[1][8]

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.[7]: 105 King Shaka favoured hides from cattle in
Jobe's country near Mzinyati in Nkandla district.[7]: 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
A shield denoted power, law and
deposed.[7]: 112
justice. The shield that shaded a
resting king's head was a
Tribal belief would have it that the qualities and properties of the
metaphor for the protection that he
valuable and revered inkomo would naturally be transferred to the
and his shield afforded his
shield, as like produces like.[7]: 113 A shield's believed qualities
kingdom. A king could command
included the supernatural. A shield treated with intelezi or umuthi immediate attention, or start or
medicine for efficacy, was not to fall into enemy hands, as the enemy call off an attack by simply raising
would in turn be protected by it. A shield that bore the mark of the
his shield.[8]
spear that killed the cattle was most coveted as it was believed to be
the most powerful.[6]: 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.[7]: 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,[9] 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.[6]: 30 Warriors of bachelor regiments, some
15 during Cetshwayo's reign, carried black or patterned shields.[4][7]: 113–114 The black colour suggested
youth and strength.[6]: 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.[2]

Young men carried a small decorative igqoka when courting, to enhance their dignity and manliness.[7]: 114
In rituals related to Nomkhubulwana ceremonies, young girls in role reversal took over their brothers' task
as cowherds.[10] They would briefly carry sticks and shields, herd cattle and take on the authority that a
shield would imply.[7]: 114

Fashioning
Shields were fashioned by artisans that were conversant in the colours assigned to the regiments.[4] 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.[1] Sometimes a hide
was treated and buried for a few days.[6]: 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.[1] A war shield required most of an ox-hide, and ornamental shields or other raw hide commodities
could be made from the leavings.[1][7]: 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.[4] 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.[2] 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.[6]: 29–30 The shield should be
tall enough that the warrior can just glance over its top.[4] 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.[1]

Gallery

A Nguni shield features Swazi dancers with Zulu man

prominently on the Flag of amahawu (singular: ihawu), with an
Eswatini or personal shields [6]: 30 igqoka,
used during
courting

Swazi royals with small,

ornamental shields, i.a.
associated with
Nomkhubulwana
ceremonies [7]: 115

See also
Nguni cattle

References
1. Shaw, E. M.; Van Warmelo, N. J. (1980). "The Material Culture of the Cape Nguni: Shields"
(https://archive.org/stream/annalsofsou5819721981sout/#page/327/mode/1up). Annals of
the South African Museum. 53 (3): 327–334. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
2. "Telling your Igqoka from Your Isihlangu" (http://ulwaziprogramme.org/blog/2016/09/telling-y
our-igqoka-from-your-isihlangu/). Ulwazi blog. The Ulwazi Programme. 6 September 2016.
Retrieved 21 September 2016.
3. Dekker, A. M.; Ries, J. H. (1958). Woordeboek / IsiChazimazwi, IsiBhunu - IsiZulu.
Afrikaanse Pers-Boekhandel (APB). p. 164.
4. Wood, J. G. (1870). The uncivilized races of men in all countries of the world, Chapter XII,
War - defensive weapons, and mode of fighting (https://archive.org/stream/uncivilizedraces0
1wood/uncivilizedraces01wood#page/114/mode/1up). Рипол Классик. p. 108.
ISBN 9785878634595.
 5. Krige, Eileen Jensen (1988). The Social System of the Zulus. Longmans, Green and
Company [1936]. p. 403.
6. Sutherland, Jonathan; Canwell, Diane (2004). The Zulu kings and their armies (1 ed.).
Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 9781844150601.
7. Oosthuizen, Marguerite Poland (December 1996). "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" (http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/xmlui/bitstr
eam/handle/10413/8490/Oosthuizen_Marguerite_Poland_1996_V_1.pdf) (PDF).
researchspace.ukzn.ac.za. (Thesis) University of Natal. pp. 105, 112, 113–116, 124–125,
127.
8. Dhlomo, Herbert Isaac Ernest. "The Shield in Tribal Life" (http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/x
mlui/bitstream/handle/10413/8490/Oosthuizen_Marguerite_Poland_1996_V_1.pdf) (PDF).
Retrieved 23 September 2016.
9. The right to marry was bestowed by the king
10. Bryceson, Deborah Fahy; Okely, Judith; Webber, Jonathan Meir (2007). Identity and
Networks: Fashioning Gender and Ethnicity Across Cultures. Berghahn Books. p. 175.
ISBN 9781845451615.

External links
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