The Klebit Bok or Kelembit Bok or Kelavit Bok is the traditional shield of the Kelabit, Kayan and the

Kenyah people The Kenyah people are an indigenous, Austronesian languages, Austronesian-speaking people of Borneo, living in interior North Kalimantan, North and East Kalimantan, Indonesia and Sarawak, Malaysia. Culture and economy The Kenyah people, ...

originating from

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

. It is similar to the shields used by other

Dayak people The Dayak (; older spelling: Dajak) or Dyak or Dayuh are the native groups of Borneo. It is a loose term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic groups, located principally in the central and southern interior of Borneo, each with its ...

such as the Terabai of the Iban.

Description

The Klebit Bok is a shield in a shape of a hexagon and painted on both sides. On its front, three demonic faces are often painted, in red, white and black and arranged vertically. Their staring, round eyes and grotesquely fanged mouths are surrounded by tufts of human hair attached with resin. The front is richly decorated with clumps of human hair forcefully pressed into the narrow cracks of wood before being secured by means of fresh wax. The hair is allegedly from hunted heads. It completes the designs, making the shield all the more terrifying for one's enemies. The reverse of the shield frequently depicts one or two figures whose heads and limbs dissolve into fantastic tendrils. Its name is derived from ''klebit'' (meaning "shield") and ''bok'' (meaning "hair") indicating a strong connection between the shield and the hair with which it is decorated.

References

Shields Weapons of Indonesia {{Indonesia-stub

Description

See also

References