Dayak Kliau ( Shield)

The word Dayak is often used to describe the over 200 groups who mainly live in the interior of the large island of Borneo. This generic term covers groups such as Bidayuh, Iban, Kenyah, Kayan.  The island of Borneo is divided into three separate states or countries, Sarawak and Sabah which is controlled by Malaysia, Kalimantan which is part of Indonesia, and the independent country Brunei.

This Dayak shield is decorated with a classical demon face design. Note how the face is partially obscured by hair—the rows of hair signal to others that the owner has been extremely effective in battle and headhunting.  The design is intended to ward off evil spirits and intimidate the opponent.  These shields were used in hand to hand combat to protect against the use of metal spears.  In other situations, the attackers would creep into the village at night and set alight the huts that were built on poles to force the occupants out.  The warriors would hold the shields above their heads to protect themselves from objects dispatched from above, such as poison blow darts, boiling water, rocks, or any other heavy object. The shields were also used as ceremonial dance accessories.

For further reading, I would recommend a recent book published in 2019, “War Art and Ritual, Shields from the Pacific,” Vol 1 and 2, edited by Bill Evans.  It had a limited publication run of only 750 copies.  It covers a range of South East Asian and Melanesian shields.  The chapter on Dayak shields written by Steven Alpert , is both informative and beautifully illustrated with many of the varying styles of shields, as well as early field photos which help contextualize these remarkable shields