Dimensions: H:20.9" W:20.9" L:4.3" Weight: 7.5 lbs.
Tikar Beaded Shields with cowrie shells from Cameroon - These shields are hand carved from a single piece of wood and decorated with a combination of beads, cowrie shells, and a manilla string. They are made for decoration or used in traditional rites and customs. They are inspired by protective shields worn by the Tikar Tribe's hunters and warriors which symbolize prestige and wealth.
About the Tribe
The Tikar are a Cameroonian ethnic proto-Bantoid Tikar-speaking group. They are primarily found in the Western Grassfields (Bamenda Plateau) and Eastern Grassfields (Fumban) and the Tikar plain of Bankim (Upper Mbam). According to oral history, the Tikar originated in the Arabian peninsula and migrated to the Nile Valley region of modern-day Sudan near Meroe. They then migrated from Sudan to Ntumu, Cameroon's present-day Tikar Plain, and intermarried with the locals. Those who claim Tikar ancestry in the Bamenda Grassfields include Nso and Kom, Bum,Bafut, Oku, Mbiame, Wiya, Tang, War, Mbot, Mbem, Fungom, Weh, Mmen, Bamunka, Babungo, Bamessi, Bamessing, Bambalang, Bamali, Bafanji, Baba (Papiakum), Bangola, Big Babanki, Babanki Tungo, Nkwen, Bambili and Bambui.