Salawaku Shield, Almahera Indonesia

The Salawaku is a long shield in the shape of an hourglass. The shield, including the handle, is carved from a single piece of wood. The upper and lower parts are wide, the shield is the thinnest in the middle. At the front, it is rounded or has a slight V shape so that the central part comes to the fore. The shield is slightly curved from top to bottom. At the back, an elevated rib can be seen along the entire length, part of which is the handle in the middle. The front of the Salawaku is painted black with soot and plant juice. It is inlaid with mother-of-pearl and fragments of earthenware and / or, painted with Khaki symbols (used by a secret society) and other ornaments. These materials allude to the foreign appearance of the shields. The shield forms a “body” and the inlaid patterns refer to certain parts of the body. The upper segment refers to the head, the lower part to the feet. The arteries run lengthwise. The raised rib at the back represents the spine and, just below the handle, the larynx. The inlays just above the center represent the eyes. Their number allegedly refers to the number of enemies killed by the ancestors. The shield should be less than two arms in length to avoid the end of the shield, held in the chin and to prevent "tears falling on the shield". Courage and sadness must be separated. The term Salawaku means "protection" and "repulsion": a reference to the supernatural protection of the ancestors; or "miss and catch". With this technique, the defender grabs his opponent's weapon, secures it in the wooden shield and then disarms it. The shield is not only a defensive weapon, but thanks to its particular and narrow form, it can be easily moved to strike with sharp edges and corners. Cultural The Salawaku can be an integral part of the husband's wedding gifts and is worn during the Cakalele (war dance) or the Hoyla (war dance during the wedding ceremony among the Tobélorais). During the Cakalele, the Salawaku is carried in the left hand and with a spear or a sword in the other while in the Hasa dance which is performed only by men, who carry the Salawaku on the left hand and a machete in wood, Barakas on the other.]from a Dutch collection