Image 1 of 8
Image 2 of 8
Image 3 of 8
Image 4 of 8
Image 5 of 8
Image 6 of 8
Image 7 of 8
Image 8 of 8
Plains Apache Buffalo Hide War Shield, Southern Plains, circa 1850–1860
Plains Apache / Kiowa-Apache, Southern Plains
Circa 1850–1860
Buffalo hide, mineral pigments
Diameter: 16 1/2 in (42 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Albuquerque, NM
This Plains Apache buffalo hide war shield dates to circa 1850–1860 and is painted with a central red ocher medallion surrounded by seven black lizard forms. The shield belongs to the Southern Plains context historically associated with Kiowa-Apache, or Plains Apache, material culture. Among Plains Apache warriors, shields were deeply personal protective objects connected to vision, spiritual power, warfare, and responsibility.
The painted lizard imagery carries protective meaning, associated in Apache tradition with survival, renewal, stealth, and guidance in conflict. Around the central field, black triangular motifs form concentric arcs near the perimeter, a design associated with Apache shield symbolism and radiant spiritual force. The surface shows age, use, and warm coloration consistent with a mid-19th-century Plains object.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Plains Apache / Kiowa-Apache, Southern Plains
Circa 1850–1860
Buffalo hide, mineral pigments
Diameter: 16 1/2 in (42 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Albuquerque, NM
This Plains Apache buffalo hide war shield dates to circa 1850–1860 and is painted with a central red ocher medallion surrounded by seven black lizard forms. The shield belongs to the Southern Plains context historically associated with Kiowa-Apache, or Plains Apache, material culture. Among Plains Apache warriors, shields were deeply personal protective objects connected to vision, spiritual power, warfare, and responsibility.
The painted lizard imagery carries protective meaning, associated in Apache tradition with survival, renewal, stealth, and guidance in conflict. Around the central field, black triangular motifs form concentric arcs near the perimeter, a design associated with Apache shield symbolism and radiant spiritual force. The surface shows age, use, and warm coloration consistent with a mid-19th-century Plains object.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.