As the eagle's-feather head-dress is the acme of all personal adornment, so the shield is the head and front, the topmost summit of warlike paraphernalia. On it he bestows infinite patience, care and thought. Not only must it be perfect in shape, in fit, in make, but also in its "medicine." He thinks it over, he works it over, he prays over it; to its care and protection he commends his life... it occupies a conspicuous but safe place in his lodge, and is hung out every fair day in front of his door; it is his shield, his protector, his escutcheon, his medicine, almost his God.  -Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, 33 Years Among Our Wild Indians

In the pre-horse days it was reported that shields were larger, possibly around 3 feet across. They became around half that size when mounted warfare was the norm and could be anywhere from twelve to twenty six inches in diameter. Shield were usually made from the thick rawhide of a bison bull's neck or back right behind the head. The rawhide was pegged into the ground over a pit of hot stones and shrunk to around half in diameter and a thickness of half an inch to an inch and then trimmed to a circular shape.

The shield usually had symbols painted on it and was blessed by a medicine man, through a series of prayers and war songs. The cost to obtain this ceremonial blessing was usually at least one horse, which meant that most poor Indians didn't posses a shield, but rather may have substituted during battle with a buffalo robe (hair attached) wrapped around their left arm. For the Indian, not only was it the symbols on the shield that gave it its power, but its entire construction as well. At times the symbols on a shield may represent a vision that the warrior had; other times they may reflect membership in a certain society.

According to The Horse in Blackfoot Indian Culture by John Ewers, shields were used in scalp raids but never taken on horse raids. This makes sense since horse raids were usually started on foot and participants packed light. While a direct blow could puncture a shield, if struck at an angle the hide was tough enough to deflect arrows, lances, and even smoothbore balls depending on the range. Given the tremendous amount of faith a warrior would place in his shield, it was an extra honor for an enemy to be able to count coup or take down the warrior armed with his shield.

Shields could be embellished with feathers, cloth streamers, bells, and even small, stuffed animals and birds. For the artist, this gives a lot of options for making a beautiful painting. When it's appropriate, I love having a shield in a painting. They can help designate the tribe that is being portrayed, and the symbols and other items give extra meaning to the scene. I also think it brings out the child in me, the child that was fascinated with medieval knights who also possessed shields.

Click here to see an example of one of my works with a of ceremonial shield.

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