Great photo Estcrh, thank you for posting it for comparison. Except for the extra carving in the two cutout on the top of the shield and that mine has two rows of rattan bindings top and bottom instead of one the two are very similar. On the inside of my example (the fifth photo) there is a piece of wood lashed in place, can anyone tell me its purpose? Being carved the way it is it looks like it might have had more of a purpose than just that of being a reinforcement. Also, could the damage (sixth and seventh photos) on the upper right outer edge have been caused by being struck repeatedly during dance ceremonies?
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