Such shields, crafted with elaborate decorations in relief, carved from lightweight wood, were never used as proper battle shields by the Songye in central, southern Congo. They were rather gifts from chiefs to friendly chiefs as thanks for accomplishments, military of political assistance. Alternatively, they could be used as ‘ceremonial banners’ for war-experienced, old chiefs.
The present old, relatively small and rare gift shield of the Songye, carved from a piece of lightweight, light-coloured wood and dyed brown and in white, displays the typical tribal oval shape, retracted in the middle section on both sides. At the centre of the front side sits a very carefully and finely carved mask’s head in the shape of the well-known ‘kifwebe’ mask of the Songye (‘kifwebe’ masks belong to a male secret society, exercising a power and policing function). The front side of the shield is composed in six all-round relief stripes and dyed in alternating brown and white. Such are the typical stripes on the central ‘kifwebe’ head. An exceptional, rare object. With an excellent, old usage patina (also an the brown-dyed backside and on the hilt on the back), and only with minor age-related damage (an old original repair on a crack on the upper right, otherwise only minor chipped edges, colour slightly scuffed). Between 1900 and the first third of the 20th century; h: 64 cm, W: 30 cm (in total); the mask’s head: H: 16 cm, W: 11 cm. (ME)

Provenance: French private collection. Lit.: ‘Songye' by Francois Neyt, ill. s. 363; ‘Shields. From the Collections of the Barbier-Mueller Museum’ by Benitez & Barbier, ill. 27, p. 88, 89, as well as on the dust jacket of the book.

Additional picture:
Warrior with a stylistically comparable shield.
Photo from ‘Shields’ by Benitez & Barbier