Kurabit (also Kuraibi, Koraibi or Koraibit) is a traditional shield originating from the
Mentawai Islands Mentawai may refer to:
* Mentawai Islands
* Mentawai Strait
* Mentawai people
* Mentawai language
The Mentawai language is an Austronesian language, spoken by the Mentawai people of the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, Indonesia.
Dialects
Ac ...
(generally from
Siberut
Siberut is the largest and northernmost of the Mentawai Islands, located 150 kilometres west of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. It covers an area of 3,838.25 km2 including smaller offshore islands, and had a population of 35,091 at the 2010 Cens ...
) off the coast of
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
.
Description
The Kurabit is a long, slightly curved wooden shield. It is made of a lightweight wood and has a coconut central boss. Its straight upper side is rather broad. Looking down it, the shield becomes a little narrower and then somewhat broader until about halfway. From here it tapers towards a blunt tip. Just above the centre the grip is cut out of the shield. The subsequent holes are covered using half a coconut shell attached by means of rattan. A Kurabit is usually decorated with geometrical, coloured motifs on both sides. Spirals (''patogalik'') are much used. Moreover, decorations such as lizard and human figures in 'rock painting styles' are seen. To make red paint, the fruit of the kalumangan tree is used. The black paint consists of soot mixed with plant juices. Since the termination of head-hunting and of disputes between
Mentawai ethnic groups at the beginning of the 20th century, the Kurabit has become very rare. The older examples seem to be less broad and less curved than more recent ones.
References
Further reading
*
Shields
Weapons of Indonesia
{{Shield-stub