Rare bouclier de guerre "koraibi"
Description
lightweight wood, red and black pigment, coconut shell,
Until curtailed by the Dutch colonial government around 1905, headhunting was a common practice in Mentawei. A headhunting expedition was obligatory after the completion of a new community longhouse or “uma”. An expedition would set out to a village on one of the neighboring islands or, in the case of Siberut, non-kin related communities would be chosen. These would often avenge past raids by their enemies.
Jerome Feldman remarked on “koraibi” shields: “Warfare and headhunting utilize the fully-armed Mentawai warrior, himself a great display of diverse art forms. He is tattooed, painted, ornamented with feathers and beads, and equipped with armaments that have a unique sense of design”.
Mentawei shields are characterised by their unusual shape, narrow, slightly curved and tapering towards the bottom. They are usually painted on both sides, especially with spiral motifs (“patogalik”). A typical feature is a circular cut-out in the area of the handle, which is closed by coconut shell.