The meaning and owner of the
shield, see below.
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The meaning of the shield:
The back of
this shield is painted in a fierce red, and has a
brown leather handle. The front is painted with a
magic symbol. The Apaches made shields from thick
leather taken from the buffalo's neck, shoulder,
or hip. Protective symbols were painted on the
shield.These were sometimes abstract, sometimes
realistic. A characteristic symbol is a circle in
the shield's middle, symbolizing the origin of
the protective power. The shield's edges were
decorated with stripes of cloth eagles' feathers.
The Apaches kept their shields in leather cases.
They left these cases unpainted, in contrast to
the Pueblos and Natives of the Plains. According
to the Apaches a shield possessed magical powers
to protect its user. Only those with the
necessary knowledge of these powers were able to
make shields. Anyone lacking this knowledge who
tried to make a shield might become very sick or
even die. Specialists made the shields to order,
for a high price. The shields cost so much that
not everyone could afford to have one made for
him. The war shields with supernatural protective
power were highly valued heirlooms.
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The owner of the shield:
Unknown
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Used materials:
Willow hoop
Rawhide
Wool trade cloth
Hawk bells
Crow feathers
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The original shield
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Museum:
Unknown
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