Baru Öröba is the
traditional armor of the
Nias people in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. The earliest examples of this type of armor were made out of
crocodile skin. After the crocodile can no longer be found on Nias, the material is replaced with hammered
metal
A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
.
Description
Oroba is a native vest-shaped armor from
Nias Island. The older ones that were made from crocodile skin are called öroba uli mbuaya. They are made from 11 pieces of crocodile skin that are connected with the ösumö technique. A piece of crocodile's back skin with dermal frills becomes the main part because it is used as the backside material of the vest and its size is bigger than other pieces of skin. Two pieces of skin that are large enough become the cover of the chest to the waist, and two pieces of curved skin turn into a shoulder cover. Another pair of crocodile skin were used to cover the vest, starting from the side of the body, armpits, and backside of the neck. Through a certain process, the crocodile's skin becomes so hard and stiff that it is considered impenetrable by enemy weapons, except for the front, starting from the neck to the lower abdomen, which is not buttoned and protected.
Along with the decline in the number of crocodile populations in Nias,
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...
or
iron
Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...
plates began to be used as a substitute for crocodile skin. The Nias war vest, made of zinc or a large plate, is named Öröba Si'öli, which means an iron vest. It is said that zinc or an iron plate is obtained by bartering with merchants called ''orang seberang'' (lit. oversea people) by Nias people. The war vest worn for a show is still made today for the purpose of shows and festivals. Made from black cloth, decorated with typical Nias ornaments, colored yellow, red, and black.
Gallery
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Krijger van Zuid-Nias in vol ornaat TMnr 10001781.jpg, South Nias man with crocodile skin armor
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een man van Nias in krijgskleding met op de achtergrond een springsteen TMnr 10005457.jpg, Nias warrior with blunderbuss
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Mannen in krijgskleding en twee vrouwen in ceremoniële kleding te Bawodobara TMnr 60024844.jpg, Men in military clothing and two women in ceremonial clothing in Bawodobara
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Studioportret van twee mannen in krijgskleding Zuid-Nias TMnr 60042492.jpg, Two men with sheet metal Baru Öröba
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een groep krijgers in Bawodobara voert een spiegelgevecht uit TMnr 60024843.jpg, Warriors in Bawodobara performing war dance
See also
*
Baju lamina
*
Baju empurau
*
Baru Lema'a
*
Baju rantai
*
Takula tofao
*
Karambalangan
*
Kawaca
*
Siping-siping
References
{{Indonesian Weapons
Indonesian inventions
Asian armour
Body armor
Military equipment of antiquity
Military equipment of Indonesia