Salawaku Shield - Halmahera Indonesia

The Salawaku is a long shield shaped like an hourglass. The shield, including the handle, is carved from a single piece of wood. The upper and lower part are wide, the shield is thinnest in the middle. At the front it is rounded or has a slight V-shape so that the central part comes to the foreground. The shield is slightly curved from top to bottom. At the rear, a high 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 earthenware fragments and/or painted with Kakean symbols (used by a secret society) and other ornaments.

The term Salawaku means "protection" and "repulsion": a reference to the supernatural protection of ancestors; or “miss and catch.” Cultural The Salawaku can be an integral part of the bridegroom's wedding gifts and is worn during the Cakalele (war dance) or the Hoyla (war dance during the wedding ceremony among the Tobelorais). During the Cakalele, the Salawaku is carried in the left hand and with a spear or 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 wooden, Barakas on the other.