Peurise Teumaga shield

During the colonial rule of Indonesia by the Dutch, North Sumatra was a major stronghold of a variety of Islamic Sultanates. In the region of Aceh and many Acehnese Sultanate warriors picked up their weapons and fought the Dutch in a efficacious guerrilla war. The so-called Atjeh war which lasted from 1873 until finally ”won” by the Dutch in 1904 suffering staggering losses, yet they were never able to actually control the Acehnese.

The Sumatran shield used by the Acehnese can be sorted in four types; the ‘Peurise Teumaga’ (bronze or brass shield), the ‘Peurise Nilo’ (buffaloo hide shield), ‘Peurise Paru’ (stingray hide shield) and the rattan bound ‘Peurise Awe’.

The brass ‘Peurise Teumaga’ shields vary in decoration and size. The early examples which were worn in battle are rather small and decorated with round bosses. The shield was usually carried on the back, and held in the left hand while in the other hand a sword like the ‘Siking Panjang’ or ‘Cojang’ was used to engage the enemy in close combat. The bronze shields from Aceh are often confused with the heavy brass shields from Palembang with cast star decoration as seen on most examples which were bought by Dutch colonials as a souvenir of their time in the colonies.

This example:
A round buckler with bent rim facing forward. The center is decorated with four revised bosses as seen on their Indian ‘dhal’ counterparts. The buckler is made of thick brass and suitable to ward off enemy sword strikes. The back is featuring two iron rings with a braided fibre cord to maintain grip. Original brass ‘Peurise teumaga’ are very scarce in the antiques trade these days and only few have survived.