Description:

A RARE TORAJA SHIELD ''KANTA''
Indonesia, Sulawesi (south-east). 19th c.
H. 100 cm
The kanta shield is the traditional battle shield of the Toraja-Pamona groups of the Tana Toraja Regency in the Lake Poso area in Central Sulawesi. This is a rare type of shield that was also known in the Tomini Gulf area. It is clearly similar to the salawaku on Maluku and probably has the same roots. The kanta shields have an elongated, long narrow rectangular shape, tapering towards both ends with a pronounced central ridge and inlays of nassa shells and bones . The front is covered with overlapping tufts of goat hair, rows of cowrie shells, triangles of tortoiseshell and a black pigment layer of squid ink. Slight slash marks are visible along the ridge, proving that the shield was used in battle. Good shields are always made from one piece The handle is integrated into the back. The shield is reinforced with rattan straps to prevent it from splintering under hard blows. The back is smooth and undecorated. The decoration symbolises a high-ranking holder.It is not certain which Austronesian groups originally utilised these shields, but according to early sources it was known among the Toraja, Topebatu and Kulawi (who used other forms in more recent times). The shields were sacred insignia. As with the salawaku, the shield symbolically forms a body. The inlays represent different parts of the body. The upper part stands for the head, the reinforcing bands for the arteries, the base for the feet. The ridge represents the spine and the inlays the eyes. It is said that the inlays - depending on their number - symbolise killed enemies. Ritual headhunting was common among the Toraja, as it was on Maluku. The wearing of shields was associated with taboos: it was forbidden for tears to ever fall on the shield, and lamentations due to unexpected death through illness or war were not allowed to be uttered in the presence of the shield (the Toraja have a pronounced culture of mourning). The shield is not only a defensive weapon, but is also used for thrusts and feints. It is manoeuvred freehand and with quick movements. Such shields were part of the bride price and were carried in cakalele and hoyla war dances in combination with the swords la'bo or penai.
From an old German private collection, assembled in the 1950s - Minor traces of age and slightly chipped

Lit.:Kaudern, W (1925): Ethnographical studies in Celebes: Results of the author’s expedition to Celebes 1917-1920. Göteborg. - Sutrisno, K. M. (1984): Sejarah Pengaruh Pelita Terhadap Kehidupan Masyarakat Pedesaan Di Daerah Sulawesi Tengah. Jakarta. - Waterson, R. (1995): Houses, graves and the limits of kinship groupings among the Sa’dan Toraja. In: Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, Vol. 151

Seltenes Schild ''kanta'' der Toraja aus Holz
Indonesien, Sulawesi (Südost-). 19. Jh.
H. 100 cm
Seltener Schild kanta. Der Schild kanta ist der traditionelle Kampfschild der Toraja-Pamona-Gruppen der Tana Toraja Regency im Gebiet des Poso-Sees in Zentral-Sulawesi. Dies ist ein seltener Schildtyp, der auch in der Gegend des Tomini-Golfes bekannt war. Er hat deutliche Ähnlichkeit mit dem salawaku auf Maluku und geht wahrscheinlich auf dieselben Wurzeln zurück. Die Schilde kanta haben eine gestreckte, langschmal-rechteckige, sich nach beiden Enden verjüngende Form mit einem ausgeprägten Mittelgrat und Einlagen aus Nassa-Muscheln und Knochen (alten Angaben zufolge Menschenknochen, was unglaubwürdig ist). Die Frontseite ist von sich überlappenden Büscheln aus Ziegenhaar, Reihungen von Kaurimuscheln, Dreiecken aus Schildpatt und einer schwarzen Pigmentschicht aus Tintenfisch-Tinte bedeckt. Entlang des Grates sind leichte Hiebnarben erkennbar, die beweisen, dass der Schild beim Kämpfen benutzt wurde. Gute Schilde (wie dieses Exemplar) sind stets aus einem Stück gefertigt (auch wenn die Herstellung aus Brettern viel einfacher gewesen wäre). Der Handgriff ist in die R

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