armored against danger

Still working on my 4 horsemen. I wanted the figure of WAR to have armor from many different eras. Perhaps a Roman helmet with medieval chain mail and a modern gun? So I researched armor, and once I got past the familiar shiny knights, it got very interesting:

Like this Kiribati armor. In https://smarthistory.org/kiribati-armor/ Dr Ali Clark writes:

The Republic of Kiribati is a group of 33 atolls and reefs spread out over millions of kilometers in Micronesia, in the Western Pacific. The isolated Islanders use the limited resources they have on hand to produce their material culture.

Historically, the I-Kiribati produced extraordinary suits of armor made from coconut fiber. The armor provided protection from the dangerous shark’s-teeth-edged swords, spears, and daggers carried by island warriors. Each suit is made up of a set of overalls and sleeves made from coconut fiber, with a coconut fiber cuirass worn over the top. The distinctive cuirasses have high backboards to protect from attack from behind, and were often worn with thick belts made from woven coconut fiber or dried ray skin to protect the vital organs. The cuirasses are usually decorated, either with human hair, feathers or shells.

Warriors sometimes wore hand armor also made from coconut fiber, inlaid with shark’s teeth along the knuckles. The warriors would also wear fearsome-looking helmets made of porcupine fish skin, which dried hard in the sun and provided another layer of protection for the head. These helmets would usually have been worn over a coconut fiber or woven pandanus leaf cap.

(Above) Photo before 1925 Although the fish helmet wasn’t strong, it did look fearsome. Notice: all protected, but with bare feet….?

(Above) on http://andrewconway.net/index.php/2017/05/25/the-whole-hog/ I found these photos and info: In the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds , this armor from India in the early 19th century. It’s made of pangolin (spiny anteater) scales, each one hand decorated (Below).

(Below) Then there’s Polish armor, with turkey and eagle feathers. No, this is not a Polish joke…..There’s some explanations saying that the feathers were meant for visual impact, creating a larger-looking enemy. But I’ve also read that as the warriors charged, the wind going through the feathers created a weird sound which spooked enemy horses (the Polish cavalry had trained their horses to accept the sound). I’ve also hear (somewhere) that the last of them were the ones confronting tanks in World War 1. Probably apocryphal….

If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you may remember African quilted armor. (Below):

http://africaunchained.blogspot.com/2012/05/quilted-sudanese-armor.html 

...from the Sudan, made of quilted fabric, and housed at the British Museum in London.

"This horse armour is made from several pieces of brightly coloured cloth sewn together. They are stuffed with kapok, the wool-like strands that surround the seeds of the silk cotton tree, creating a heavy garment. In full battle the war-horse would also have worn chainmail or pieces of leather across the flanks. A headpiece of metal and cloth completed the outfit. These colourful horses did not always go into battle but instead they were often used by the bodyguards for leaders. Quilted armour is still worn today but only on ceremonial occasions.This particular horse armour was probably used during the Battle of Omdurman (2 September 1898).

Then we get into a great story of Armor as the History of Trade. Before we continue, a definition, badly copied from Wikipedia:

Got that? OK, (Below) is early Inuit lamellar armor made from bone…..

…..(Below) and Tlingit armor ( Tlingit are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. You’ve probably seen photos of their totem poles):

(Below) Meanwhile, the high-backed Siberian armor (left) is reflected in this Tlingit wooden figure (right):

The early people of the American Northwest also had Chinese coin armor (Below):

Before we go on, stop and think about this. Especially that last figure on the right - with a helmet that looks like a figure from a totem pole, wearing Chinese coins. Obviously, there were trade routes from China and Japan to Siberia and Alaska and the northwest coast of America. Long before Columbus bungled onto the scene.

This website - https://aminoapps.com/c/world-history/page/blog/the-great-asia-america-armor-trade/e2KE_rls3udqB8qzJzP5G4Gj0BGgEdDvwK - lays it all out with more images and information.

The Japanese Lamellar armor (Below)….

(Below) …and the armor of this Ainu warrior from the northern most Japanese islands (with decorations on his sleeves that look Tlingit):

All show a vast trading economy.I think my Apocalyptic figure of war will need some lamellar armor.

OK, a few more random armor images :

(Above) Alligator hide armor!

(Above) More Tlingit armor…and (Below) a helmet carved from whale bone:

So, as we hunker down from this invisible enemy, we know that in the past, people used whatever material they had on hand for protection. And the psychological effect of that armor was just as important as it’s actual strength.

Stay well, and contact me at dianesavona@aol.com