Maasai Shield

[Birdman]

I spent my teens in Kenya, so here is my kumi centi ( ten cents) worth!

The Masai (Maasai) would have had access to many naturally occurring chemicals like potash of alum and sulphour/sulphurous componds.

They controlled a vast area of plains that has active volcanoes and sulphur springs. ie Ol Donyo Lengai--- translates from the Masai as Mountain of God, and Mt Longonot and Hells Gate.

In my time there I saw both Masai and their near relatives, the Samburu preparing hides. The one thing that sticks in my mind is that hides were buried for a few days, (having had the fats etc removed) in the cattle 'boma'.

This is small enclosure walled with thorn brush, where cattle were kept overnight. The ground was well saturated with, ------well I guess you can work it out!

Referring to the video above there is a brief sequence of a moran ( a masai warrior) having a tussle with a lion. I was told by the Masai boys I was at school with, that in the not to distant past, a moran who wished to marry, had to kill a lion single handed with spear, shield and simi ---a short stabbing sword.

The lion was encircled by the moran warriors and bated. The moran who who was to kill the lion went into the circle and threw his spear, at the lion. When the lion charged, the moran had to hold his nerve and fall backwards as the lion jumped onto him, his shield held out straight arm to take the lion, and the simi is then thrust through the shield killing or severely incapacitating the lion.

The moran would wear the lions skin as a badge of honour at ceremonial functions.

But as a leather worker, the points I would like to offer is, when you have a lion on top of you, would you want to push a stabbing sword through rawhide, or something that had been made softer by tannage of some sort?

Or did they have a battle shield and a lion hunting shield? Or could the battle shield have been wetted prior to taking on Leo?

I spent six happy years in Kenya, I owe the country.

[nkante]

Thanks for all the input. There is a gallery of pictures at the end of the article that gives more information. http://www.conserventures.org/gallery/blood-and-leatherre-creating-the-maasai-war-shield/ The captions say it is ash being rubbed into the hide. It also shows the dried hide being buried in the boma like Birdman suggested. It also shows a few steps are still missing. Can someone explain what effect being buried would have on the hide? Is it ammonia in the urine or something in the feces that causes a reaction?

[Birdman]

Can someone explain what effect being buried would have on the hide? Is it ammonia in the urine or something in the feces that causes a reaction?

Probably both!

The pounding by the cattle may also have some effect in loosening up the fibres and allowing for better penetration?

[Thor]

I'm not absolutely certain on that particular step as for rawhide I don't think it is necessary. The so called staining process (sorry not sure what that relates to in the English explanations - maybe liming) usually follows the decalcification and would be used to promote further dilapidation of the hide to open the fibre structure for the following and actual tanning process. Pounding of cattle has a negative impact on the skin, but luckily it only damages the hypodermis, which is removed anyways. However, it doesn't help in loosening up fibres as adrenaline and the occurring bruising start a process we're trying to prevent today.

But again, a fair amount of water would be needed to get this process really going. Traditionally dog, chicken and pigeon feces have been used for this procedure. Pigeon feces are still used a lot in Morocco for tanning goatskin. Unfortunately I'm not having a very good answer for this step but to guess that they are trying to make the rawhide more durable and making it "heavier" and therefore thicker. We are speaking of a swelling process.

And yes it must be the ammonia in the urine and feces. Today's industrial mixtures are a combination of ammonia, pancreas extract and sawdust.

[Birdman]

Hi Thor,

You may have misunderstood re 'pounding'?

I was referring to the pounding given to the hide by the cattle (above ground) by their hooves whilst the hide was buried beneath them, not by a pounding given to the skins of the cattle whilst they were still alive!

The Masai are very good towards their cattle. They are currency and wealth. They also believe that Ngai (God) gave them all the cattle in the world and as such they should repossess any that were not already in the possession of Masai.

The result was many skirmishes with other tribes. They had perfected formation fighting similar to the Romans, and were a disciplined, fit fighting force. The Masai were fearsome fighters on the plains, second to none.

Regards.

[Thor]

I definitely did misunderstand that part... The only sense this would make to me is to get the acids into the hide better than just letting it sit on it.

[nkante]

OK... So I contacted the group that created the video. They told me there was a book that accompanied the video and website. I bought the digital copy and it had most of the information I was missing. They said the dried hide was buried in the cattle boma for up to a week to cure. Then it is rubbed with round river stones to remove the hair. I can reproduce the ashing process and stone scrubbing, but can someone suggest an alternative to the cow manure? Would soaking it in ammonia have the same effect?