Devine Protection of a Warrior's Shield

[Danny Bear Claw]

From ancient times through the present day, Indian peoples of the Southwest and the Great Plains have prized shields for their mystic strength.  A good shield, traditionally made with the assistance of a Shaman, was believed capable of affording the bearer the protection of the Gods.

The leather shields frequently bore sacred feathers or symbolic pictures of animals that were painted either on the shield itself or on a buckskin cover.  These designs, which customarily appeared to the owner during a vision, were thought to endow him with the qualities of the animals that were depicted.  The medicine power derived not only from the painted symbols, however.  Every step in the carefully designed process of crafting the shield imbued the weapon with additional significance.

As a means of deflecting arrows, lances and axes, shields had served for generations as effective defensive armor in Native American warfare.  But bullets were an entirely different matter.  The introduction of firearms by the Europeans rendered the prized shields practically worthless in terms of actual physical protection.  Nevertheless, for a long while after rifles became the predominant weapon in the Indian's land, Native Americans continued to believe in the spiritual potency of the shields and still use them today during dance and medicine ceremonies.

[Forty Rod]

Very good, Danny.

Question: how were these shields made?  What materials were used, and how?

[Silver Creek Slim]

Very good, Danny.

Question: how were these shields made?  What materials were used, and how?

Ya musta read my mind, Forty. 

Slim

[Forty Rod]

I've lived on two reservations, been around one tribe or another most of my first thirty years, and seen dozens of shields and hundreds of pictures and it never occurred to me to find out.

[Danny Bear Claw]

I do have info on the making of Indian shields and will post what I have within the next couple of days.

Stay tuned.   

[Forty Rod]

Thanks, Danny.  I never though to ask before and all of a sudden I read your post and got curious.

[jiminy criquet]

Here's how:

http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/leather/hl.html

[Mogorilla]

Most Native american shields were made using Rawhide, at least as far as my research has shown.  In fact, the prevalence of rawhide use in shields led to all rawhide items being called parfleche, voyageur patois french for parry fletching, or the ability to turn an arrow.   Cuir Bouilli as referenced by Monsieur Criquet was highly used in early europe for shields and early armor.  There is still much debate on whether it was just hot water-boiled leather, or hot waxed leather.  Either way, cuir bouilli was made with veg tanned leather.  Early veg tanned leather is a long process and while I am sure native americans did use veg tan to an extant, the plains tribes, most often associated with truly beautiful shields are generally associated with brain tanning.   Rawhide covering on a shield, especially thick rawhide is very tough.   See my post under the Old Fashioned Way on parfleches for my work with Rawhide.   A dog bone won't give you a full sized shield, but a very small one could be made.   I would recommend that if you want to work with rawhide, practice with the dog bones first.  They are much cheaper and can still turn out decent looking pieces.   Most leather supply places offer rawhide, but usually in precut drum heads (fairly expensive) or in halves or full hides, and they are pretty proud of these too. 

[Forty Rod]

And these were stretched over..................

Willow, oak, something to form a frame (I would assume), possibly steam bent (but not likely) or made into a hoop while the wood was still green, and with a way to carry them at the back of the shield.  Are they similar to European shields in that respect?

[Mogorilla]

I definitely don't want to highjack a thread, and am really looking forward to Danny's reply, but yes, I have seen a few original shields and they were on a willow frame.  They were carried well into the firearm era, and I would put money that several warriors at Little Big Horn had them with them as there was quite a bit of spirituality with them as well.  In looking at rawhide, I am betting a good hard thick piece of buffalo rawhide would have turned a few musket balls.   Especially if there was a little distance.   I think Porter Rockwell, the Morman Avenging Angel, had a buffalo hide coat that was said to have stopped a full balls during his carreer.