The
War Shield
On the Great Plains,
Indian Warriors created and used
shields as a vestige of protection both physical and spiritual
during warfare. Shields were sacred, they infused the owner's expression
of mystical power, religious
faith, giving him physical safeguards. Shields were also used then and today
as an important part of some ceremonies.
There were four types of shields used on the Plains; the dance shield
was a lightweight version of the war shield, the medicine or holy man's shield,
the miniature shield which was a small copy of a warrior's war shield and finally
the
war shield.
Prior to the arrival of the horse, Plains war shields were quite large, often
90 cm or more in diameter. These were much too cumbersome for mounted men, though,
and so the size was reduced until the average war shield measured only about
45 cm in diameter. |
Mato, the Bear © Assiniboine Tipis
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