Klebit bok
| Klebit bok | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Information | |
| Weapon type: | sign |
| Designations: | klebit bok, kleavit bok, kalavit bok, kelebit bok, Dayak hair shield |
| Use: | Protective weapon |
| Region of origin / author: |
Indonesia , Dayak ethnic groups in Borneo : Kayan and Kenyah |
| Distribution: | Indonesia |
| Overall length: | about 115 cm to about 130 cm, width about 44 cm |
| Handle: | Wood |
| Particularities: | human hair (prey of the headhunters) for display |
| Lists on the subject | |
The klebit bok (also kelavit bok , German: hair shield ) is a shield of the Dayak ethnic groups from Borneo , Indonesia .
description
The klebit bok is very similar to the Kliau shield, the best-known and most widely used shield of the Dayak, from which it differs in its painting and the use of human hair in the ornament. It is made of wood and is carved in one piece. It is rectangular and the ends are pointed at the top and bottom. The shield is made slightly curved and reinforced on the inside and outside with horizontal struts made of rattan . The handle is carved from wood and attached vertically, so the shield can be held vertically in front of the body.
The outside of the klebit bok is usually decorated with black, white or red paintings and with tufts of human hair , which give the shield its name ( Indonesian : klebit = shield, bok = hair). The hair is carefully stuffed into cracks contained in the wood. It is made from the hair of killed enemies , which was later banned by the Indonesian government. The ornamentation of paintings and hair is intended to make the shield frightening to opponents. On the front is an anthropomorphic face of a demon, the Indonesian dragon dog Aso , with large, round eyes, two rows of teeth and sharp fangs, the rest of the figure with arms folded under the knees is mostly covered, so that the demon-like grin is emphasized . The decorations with Aso motifs can be found on many Dayak objects as a protective symbol for the owner. The reverse shows either male or female figures in a mirror-inverted arrangement, above and below the hornbill as the “bird of war”.
The klebit bok is used by the headhunters of the Kayan and Kenyah ethnicities of the Dayak ethnic group in Indonesia on Borneo (Kalimantan), also known as the Bahau group .
Portrait of a Dayak dancer with a hair tag. Drawn by Carl Bock, 1887. Source: Tropenmuseum .
Dayak warrior with hair shield. Source: Tropenmuseum, first half of the 20th century.
Klebit bok, front and back. Source: WH Furness, 1902.
For comparison: A Kliau , without hair, completely painted with Aso motifs. Source: Tropenmuseum, before 1884
literature
- Albert G. van Zonneveld: Traditional weapons of the Indonesian archipelago. C. Zwartenkot Art Books, Leiden 2001, ISBN 90-5450-004-2 .
- Anton W. Nieuwenhuis : Across Borneo. Results of his travels in 1894, 1896–1897 and 1898–1900. Part 1. Brill, Leiden 1904, p. 154 .
- William Henry Furness 3rd: The Home-Life of Borneo Head-Hunters. Its festivals and folk lore. Lippincott, Philadelphia PA 1902, illustration with text between pp. 80 and 81, ( Internet Archive ).
