Description

Large, carved wooden shield, oval in shape painted black and brown with pigment. Carved in relief are two large birds, one at the top facing upwards, the other at the bottom facing downwards. The beaks of the birds curve down into the shield, the eyes are inlaid with cowrie shells the feathers are incised and their wings are spread wide. The top bird has a long tail while the bottom bird’s tail forms in the mouth of a human face. The head is a slightly protruding forehead, a high brow that exaggerates the large eye sockets; the eyes are inlaid with large cowrie shells. The nose is large and pointed with a hollow septum and a piece of fibre twine tied through. The mouth is triangular with bared teeth. The background is painted and incised with a repeating stylized pattern. The underside is hollowed. There is a fibre twine looped tie at the top.