Storrs-Fox, D.

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DESCRIPTION OF MASAI SHIELDS AND SPEARS.By D. STORRS-Fox.The patternsof shieldsvaryaccordingto the followinggroupings:(a) Circumcisionage.(b) Sectional.(c) Marks of bravery.(d) Ornamentation.Each generationmaydivideinto a.righthandageanda left handage. This matterhasbeenfully explainedelsewhere,so I will refrainfrom doingso again. Most of the shieldsin the museumareof theright handbut thereare·two specimensof the left hand.The generaltypeof right handcircumcisionmarkingconsistsofbla.ckandredserratedarcson theupperhalf of theshield(fig.1).Thereis onered stripe,then three completeblack stripes andanotherwhichis mostlyhiddenby the chainpattern. The red markjust belowthe chainpatternacrossthe middle,is commonto bothright and left handcircumcisions. The stripesare calledOsambu.They shouldbe madethin; thick ones are consideredvulgar andostentatious.An alternativepatternfor a right handshieldis to havea broadblue-greybandin placeof a stripe(fig. 2). The type of left handshieldis as in fig. 3 or alternativelyas in fig. 4, which is called01,Lemutoroki from a supposedresemblanceto the CrestedCrane. Ithasa broadrededgeto the tophalf.Thereareno specimensof figs.2 and4 in themuseum.Thesectionpatternsarecommonto certaingroupsof sections,i.lI.(i) Purko, Kakonyuki,II Dalalogotokhavea patterncommontoall threeandareindistinguishablefromoneanother. All thespecimensin the museumsareof this group.(ii) II Damat.(iii) Kabutei,Matapato,Lodokilani,Loita, Siria andLaitayok.(iv) Loitokitok.The broadred mark just belowthe middleof the shieldin figs.1 to 4 is typicalof the Purko and Kakonyuki and II Dalalogotoksections.The II Damathavethis red mark and in a.dditiona blackmarkon the top half. Fig. 5 showsan II Damatshieldof the right handcircumcision. For a left hand circumcisionshieldthe threeblackstripeswouldbe omitted. In Kabutei,Matapatu,Lodokilani,Loitaand Siriathe black and redcrossoverthecentre(fig.6). Thesesectionshavenothada left handcircumcisionwithinthelast20years.TheLoitokitokmarkingsaresimilarto theII Damat(fig.5)exceptthat the broadbandwhich is black in II Damat is blue-greyinLoitokitok.There has been no recent left hand circumcisioninLoitokitok.MARKSQJ'. BBit.URY.Fig. 7 showsthe,highestmarkof bravery. It is a redmarkwitha serratedblackline roun<Liton thebottomedgeof theshield.The smallred andblackmarkdepictedon the top edgeof fig. 1is a markof braveryof a lesserdegree. The rosetteon the lowerhalfof fig. 2 is anothersignof braveryequivalento that in fig. 1.ORNAMENTATION.The redandblackchainlikemarksacrossthemiddleof the.shieldarefor ornament. RedmustCOmenextto blackandviceverSa..Thenumberof linksdependson thenumberof stitcheswhicharefasteningthe woodenbackboneof the shieldto thehide.An optionalornamentis formed·by two parallelverticalserratedlineson.thelowerhalf of the shield(seefig. 5). Therearespecimensof all the braveryandornamentationmarksin the museum.COLOURS.The black is madeof the charcoalobtainedfro~ burningcala-bashesof Acrocanthera (01Moricho). This charcoalis powderedandmixedwith someox blood. Red is madefrom a powderedred stonecalledOsindimixedwith ox blood.White is burnt ox bonemixedwith water.Blue-greyis the burntfemurof an ox mixedwith water.SPEARS.Longagothespearsof the Masaiwarriorswereleafshaped. Thelongbladedspearwasprobablyintroducedaboutsixtyyearsago,whentheLaimerage,of whomveryfew nowsurvive,werewarriors. Theirspearsweremuchbroaderthanthe modernones. Thereis verylittleto distinguishonetype of modernwarriorspearfrom another. Therurko andKakonyukihavea rathernarrowerblade than the rest,with smallerlugs at the baseof it, but thereis nothingsufficientlydistinctiveto indicateby drawing. The cutson thesocketof thebuttend of the spear.are customaryornamentandhaveno other&ignifi-cance. The giraffehair commonlyfoundat the socketof the bladeisalsoornament.Old menandboyscarrylighterspearswith shortandunpolishedblades.Fig. 1.Fig. 2.Fig. 3.Fig. 4.Fig. 5.Fig. G.Fig. 7.

Description of Maasai shields and spears

http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/content/part/EANHS/No. 37_201_1930_Storrs-Fox.pdf

Description of Maasai shields and spears

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