A Nguba is a basket shield of the peoples of the Oubangui region in the Republic of Congo.

Nguba shield of the Ngombe from Congo

Uses

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This type of shield is found in many african ethnic groups, whether Bantu or not.[1] It is called nguba, guba, wara or gele according to these tribes.[2] It is made up of several layers of braided fibers and an oval piece of wood serves as a handle. This basketry work was traditionally reserved for men, except in the Ngiri and Poto where women could exercise it.[3] The name Nguba comes from the proto-bantu gùbà word which means «shield». The Obambas sometimes used animal skin to make them.[4]

 
Nguba shield handle


References

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  1. ^ Benitez et Barbier, Boucliers d'Afrique, d'Asie du Sud-est et d'Océanie, Barbier-Mueller Museum, p.58-59
  2. ^ Frederick Starr, Ethnographic Notes from the Congo Free State, 1909
  3. ^ Benitez et Barbier, Boucliers d'Afrique, d'Asie du Sud-est et d'Océanie, Musée Barbier-Mueller, p.58
  4. ^ Jean-François Owaye, Guerre, histoire et mythologie africaine, p.93