Cakalele dance

Cakalele dance performance
Native name	Tari cakalele
Inventor	Eastern Indonesia
Origin	Indonesia

Cakalele dance (pronounced "cha-ka-leh-leh", spelled tjakalele by the Dutch) is a war dance from North and Central Maluku in Indonesia.^[1] Hybrid versions also exist among the natives of Sulawesi, Timor, and the Tanimbar Islands.^{[citation needed]} The dance is performed by men, two of whom represent opposing captains or leaders while the others are the warriors supporting them. After an opening ritual, the captains engage in a mock-duel with a spear (sanokat) and long knife (lopu) while their supporters use a long knife in the right hand and a narrow wooden shield in the left hand.^[2] The shield is referred to as a salawaku, or by a local name such as the Tobelo o dadatoko.^[3] The cakalele originated as a way for the warriors to celebrate after a successful raid. Dancers dress in full warrior costume and are backed by the rhythm of the drum and gong (tifa) and fife (sulin).

Gallery

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  Cakalele dancers wearing traditional clothes
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  Cakalele dance performances in Maluku
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  Salawaku, the shield used in performances
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  Cakalele dance performances in the 1900s
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  Two cakalele dancers
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  Cakalele performance