Salawaku
A Salawaku (in the Tidore and Pagu languages), is a traditional shield originating from the Maluku Islands. It is also known as Ma Dadatoko, Salwake, Saluwaku or Salawako in Galela, Salawakunu in Loloda, Hawau-mu in Madole, Emuli in Buru or O Dadatoko in Tobelo. • Illustration — A 17th–19th century salawaku from Halmahera, housed at Singapore’s Asian Civilisations Museum. This specimen is made from wood, nacre, porcelain, and hair.
Salawaku
Tropenmuseum · Collectie Wereldmuseum (v/h Tropenmuseum), part of the National Museum of World Cultures · Wereldmuseum Amsterdam · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Salawaku
- Field
- shield.
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Salawaku. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q2213960 · wikipedia · Salawaku
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Salawaku • Origin — Indonesia (Maluku Islands) • Type — Shield • Is Bladed — No • Used By — Ambonese, Buru people, Manusela people, Nuaulu people, Tobelo people
Use
Use
The term Salawaku means 'protection' and 'repellence': a reference to the supernatural protection of the ancestors; or 'to miss and to catch'. With this technique the defender catches his adversary's weapon, secures it in the wooden shield and then disarms him. The shield is not only a defensive weapon, but thanks to its peculiar, narrow shape may be easily moved to deliver blows with the sharp rims and corners.
Cultural
Cultural
The Salawaku may be part and parcel of the bridegroom's marriage gifts and are worn during the Cakalele (war dance) or the Hoyla (war dance during the marriage ceremony among the Tobelorese people). During the Cakalele, the Salawaku is carried in the left hand and with a spear or sword in the other. Whereas in the Hasa dance which is only performed by men, who carry the Salawaku on the left hand and a wooden machete, Barakas on the other.
Schild. Gebruikt bij krijgsdansen.. Houten dansschild
Tropenmuseum · Collectie Wereldmuseum (v/h Tropenmuseum), part of the National Museum of World Cultures · Wereldmuseum Amsterdam
Description
The Salawaku is a long hour-glass shaped shield. The shield, including the handle, is carved from a single piece of wood. The upper and lower part are broad, and the shield is thinnest in the middle. At the front, it is rounded or has a slight V-shape so that the centre part comes to the foreground. The shield is slightly curved from top to bottom. On the rear, an elevated rib can be seen along the entire length, part of which is the handle in the middle. The front of the Salawaku is painted black using soot and plant juice. It is inlaid with mother-of-pearl and fragments of earthenware, and/or painted with kakean symbols (used by a secret society) and other ornaments; these materials often hint at the foreign aspect of the shields. The shield forms a 'body', and the inlaid patterns refer to certain bodily parts. The upper segment refers to the head, and the lower part to the feet. Arteries run lengthwise. The elevated rib on the rear side represents the spine and, just below the handle, the larynx. Inlays just above the centre represents the eyes. Their number allegedly refers to the number of enemies killed by the ancestors. The shield must be shorter than two arms’ length, in order to avoid the shield's end, and held against the chin to avoid tears falling on the shield, as 'courage and sadness must be separated.'
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2213960: Salawaku
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Salawaku”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Salawaku, revision 1325812449 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Connections
Knowledge graph
Connections
Each connection was recorded deliberately, with the basis for it kept on the internal record.
Broader subject
1- shieldTerminology
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Militaria
6,095 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Sako 85Terminology
- Sako ARGTerminology
- Sako M23Terminology
- Sako TRGTerminology
- salted bombTerminology
- Salvator-Dormus 1891 pistolTerminology
- Salvator-Dormus M1893Terminology
- SAM carrier 701Terminology
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with Salawaku?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.