A Nguba is a basket shield of the peoples of the Oubangui region in the

Republic of Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

Uses

This type of shield is found in many african ethnic groups, whether

Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for National ...

or not. It is called ''nguba'', ''guba'', ''wara'' or ''gele'' according to these tribes. It is made up of several layers of braided fibers and an oval piece of wood serves as a handle. This basketry work was traditionally reserved for men, except in the Ngiri and Poto where women could exercise it. The name Nguba comes from the proto-bantu ''gùbà'' word which means «shield». The Obambas sometimes used animal skin to make them.Jean-François Owaye, ''Guerre, histoire et mythologie africaine'', p.93

References

Shields African weapons {{Shield-stub