Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

VANDOO · 1st October 2010, 06:51 PM

I READ SOMEWHERE THAT ZULU SHIELDS WERE ALWAYS MADE OF COW HIDE. I DON'T KNOW WHY AS MANY OTHER TYPES OF HIDE WERE AVAILABLE. PERHAPS THE ZULU ATTACHED SOME IMPORTANCE TO THE COW MUCH AS THE MASSAI DO

IT WAS SAID THE EARLIER SHIELDS WERE ONE OR TWO SHIELDS MADE FROM EACH COW AND LATER SHIELDS THERE MIGHT BE FOUR MADE PER COW. PERHAPS BECAUSE OF A COW SHORTAGE OR EXPENSE

PERHAPS A ZULU SHIELD EXPERT WILL COME FORTH AND SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE MATTER

THE SPEAR HAS A GOOD PROPER LONG BLADE AND THE FLARED BUTT GOOD ZULU SPEARS USUALLY HAVE SO THE FORM IS GOOD REGARDLESS OF THE AGE AND LACK OF WIRE WORK.

1st October 2010, 06:51 PM	#5
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	I READ SOMEWHERE THAT ZULU SHIELDS WERE ALWAYS MADE OF COW HIDE. I DON'T KNOW WHY AS MANY OTHER TYPES OF HIDE WERE AVAILABLE. PERHAPS THE ZULU ATTACHED SOME IMPORTANCE TO THE COW MUCH AS THE MASSAI DO IT WAS SAID THE EARLIER SHIELDS WERE ONE OR TWO SHIELDS MADE FROM EACH COW AND LATER SHIELDS THERE MIGHT BE FOUR MADE PER COW. PERHAPS BECAUSE OF A COW SHORTAGE OR EXPENSE PERHAPS A ZULU SHIELD EXPERT WILL COME FORTH AND SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE MATTER THE SPEAR HAS A GOOD PROPER LONG BLADE AND THE FLARED BUTT GOOD ZULU SPEARS USUALLY HAVE SO THE FORM IS GOOD REGARDLESS OF THE AGE AND LACK OF WIRE WORK.