African Arts Gallery

Worn on the left to protect the forearm from impacts, this functional adornment was intended for archers. In Rwanda, the Tutsi used a pad covered with grass, and wooden protections called igitembe were therefore rare. Minor abrasions. Height on base: 28 cm.
A nomadic people, the Tutsi were particularly decimated by the Islamic slave trade and by recurring internal wars. The population groups called "Interlacustrine Bantu", established between Lake Victoria and the Limpopo River, include the Ganda, Nyoro, Nkole, Soga, Toro, Hima, and the Tutsi of Rwanda and Burundi. Their cultures have similarities, as do their artistic production and their objects of daily use. The Tutsi raise livestock. They also excel in the art of weaving and basketry. Source: "Africa, the art of a continent" Ed. Prestel P.157