![]() Cakalele dance performance | |
Native name | Tari cakalele |
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Inventor | Eastern Indonesia |
Origin | Indonesia |
Cakalele dance |
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Burma |
Cambodia |
Indonesia |
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Laos |
Malaysia |
Philippines |
Thailand |
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Vietnam |
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 (Kabasaran dance or Sakalele of the Minahasan),[2] East Nusa Tenggara (Abui Cakalele from Alor),[3] 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.[4] The shield is referred to as a salawaku, or by a local name such as the Tobelo o dadatoko.[5] 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, gong (tifa), and fife (sulin).