Historically used as a defensive weapon in wartime and displayed as a decorative symbol of status and wealth by the Tikar people in Cameroon. Each shield is carved from a single piece of Baobab wood — a sacred wood used for medicinal and ritual purposes for centuries — then covered in hundreds of hand-placed black and white beads on manila string in a circular pattern, surrounded by cowrie shells with a central cluster of cowrie beads.
These decorative shields are one-of-a-kind, collaboratively crafted by a large group of people, making each piece both unique and communal.
