Baluse orBaloese is a traditional shield of the Nias people originating fromNias, an island off the west coast ofNorth Sumatra,Indonesia. Baluse in theNorthern Nias is somewhat smaller than those of the rest of the island.[1]
The shield is made of wood shaped like banana leaves and is held on the left hand which serves to deflect enemy attacks.[2] The surface of the shield is carved with rib-cage patterns from top to bottom. There is a round knob at the centre of the shield, and the shield's handle is directly behind this knob.[3]
Joachim Freiherr von Brenner-Felsach,Eine Reise nach Nias: unveröffentlichte Manuskripte aus dem Museum für Völkerkunde in Wien : Materialien zu Exotismus und Ethnographie, Böhlau Verlag Wien, 1998,ISBN3-205-98959-7
