Keris and Shields?
 

Probably anyone who has googled "keris" or any variable has run into these valiant gentlemen. I wonder if this type of shield was used with keris in combat, or if anyone has ever gotten a shield like this for their collection of ethnographic arms? Or perhaps this was just posed this way, and the stalwarts were just being agreeable? If this is a legitimate assemblage, were these shields used in some kind of sword-and-buckler art?

The shield looks very East-African to me....

There are duels Kare-Kare during ritual festivities for Ida Bhatara Dharma Kamulan, god of the original law, in Tenganan (Bali). Bunches of Pandanus leaves and round braided shields, made of Lianan (Ata), are used.

There is an early picture (1865), most possibly by van Kinsbergen, which depicts a young Madurese dancer with Keris and shield.

http://media-kitlv.nl/all-media/inde...ijving=madoera

There is another very early and rare picture depicting three Balinese princes with their "bodyguards". The shields in this picture are very similar to the one from Madura, just bigger and with 6 spikes. It is known, the balinese culture was very en voque in Madura since at least 18th century.

That's amazing. Even as a ritual activity, it must have roots in an actual martial art. Still, I wonder what happened to these shields, I have never seen one in a collection or auction catalog.