Subject: warrior

Culture: Kiribati Micronesian

Setting: tribal conflict, Gilbert and Ellice / Kingsmill Islands mid 19thc.

Object: armor

American Museum of Natural History > Mead Hall of Pacific Peoples *

"Coconut fiber armor, Gilbert Islands, Kiribati"

American Museum of Natural History > Mead Hall of Pacific Peoples *

" ... Warriors never used shields. For protection, they wore a kind of armor constructed from netted coconut fiber cord, covering the body and limbs, with gauntlets and a cap with earflaps. A basketry cuirass was combined with a screen for the back of the head. Later, in fighting Europeans, this armor gave protection against low-velocity musket balls."

* Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales

Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology > Pacific Islands Hall *

"Shark-toothed gauntlet Gilbert Islands" ...