Joe Loux. | Joe Loux presents an antique Ndome or Initiation Shield made by the Kikuyu people of the Central Highlands of Kenya.
Joe Loux specializes in authentic, antique art from Africa with good provenance.
Ndome, Kikuyu, Kenya, Central Highlands of Kenya, African shield, painted shield, initiation ceremony, boys to warriors, rika, circumcision ceremony Africa
27789
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  • Kikuyu initiation shield or Ndome from Kenya. This carved and painted shield would be paraded by dancers during an initiation ceremony that preceded a male circumcision.
  • The back of a Kikuyu initiation shield or Ndome from Kenya. This carved and painted shield would be paraded by dancers during an initiation ceremony that preceded a male circumcision.
  • A detail from a Kikuyu initiation shield or Ndome from Kenya. This carved and painted shield would be paraded by dancers during an initiation ceremony that preceded a male circumcision.

Kikuyu Shield or Ndome from Kenya.

Kikuyu people, Central Highlands of Kenya
Late 19th to early 20th century
Carved and painted wood
12″ (w) x 22 1/2″ (h) x 4″ (d)
This shield was not used in battle. It formed an important part of an initiation dance that preceded a male circumcision, and would have been held high above the head of the dancer. Several boys are circumcised at one time during the ceremony and they form a distinct age set or rika. After the initiation the boys became warriors, and would participate in raids (particularly of the neighbouring Maasai’s livestock) and would be responsible for defending their village.

See this blog post for more information. A similar example from the Pitt Rivers at Oxford University can be seen here.

Price on request

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Date

18 December 2024

Category

recent acquisitions, sculpture