I guess the context is that Ethiopia was one of the first countries to adopt Christianity, in the 3rd or 4th century I think. Before that, the lion of Judah was the symbol of the Jewish tribe of Judah, and Ethiopian Jews are thought to be one of the lost tribes of Israel. I think Jesus was referred to in the bible as the lion of the tribe of Judah too. Then later the Emperor Haile Selassie also became known as the lion of Judah as the Rastafarians believed him to be the human incarnation of God, i.e. Jesus.

So much of the history of Ethiopia is contained in the symbols carved onto this rifle...