The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-07-17

plate armor Of the Chukchls, Further
down the Siberian coast toward Japan,
which would seem to be the place where
the plate armor ranging from that
country into the American continent
originated, similar forms with pot
shaped helmets and neck covers are to
be found.
Some of the armor at the museum
is decorated with painting, although
decoration Is not frequently found.
Most of the skin armor has fringes.
The slat armor apparently bore totemic
devices, and the rod armor was diversi-
fed by bands of different col
ored cords or by painted bands.
The painted bands sometimes In
dicated the rank of the owner. In
other cases they showed the number of
enemies slain or captured by the wear
err. On the inside of two coats from
southern Alaska are elaborate colored
totemic paintings, AS the paintings
are on the inside, and when the armor
is worn not to be seen, 1t Is thought that
they were not for ornament, but were
intended as a fetichistic guard against
the arrows of the enemy. The Nation
al museum contains no specimens of
the padded armor of Mexico and Gen.
| tray America, and 1t is not believed
that any are in extant. The use of
| padded armor has been widespread
and in Monaghan countries 1t was to
be found up to recent date.
| On the Atlantic slope there Is abun-
dant evidence to show that the Iroquois
used body armor, which was construct
ed of wood bound with cords, like the
slat or rod armor already mentioned.
They had also defensive coverings for
| the thighs and arms made of the same
material. Their cuirasses were con-
sidered proof against arrows mounted
with bone or stone, but not against
| those with iron heads. AS a rule the
helmet is the most striking and promin-
emit portion OF the armor. The war
| bonnets and other head coverings OF
| the American Indians may be classed
| with the helmets In many cases, and
the function of the helmets. next to
protection, seemed to be to adorn the
head. The design of the helmet OF
the American Indians was grotesque
and horrid, SO as to inspire fear. There
is a large series of northwestern coast
helmets in the National museum. They
are all of wood, fitted the head closely
and are carved on top to represent ami.
mails and grotesaue faces, which are
painted. One of them is OF wood cover.
ed with leather. Another fine helmet
from the Taku Indians of southern
Alaska Is carved from solid in the form
Of a Japanese type, and is called the
kabuto, or pot helmet The front Ii
worked out in the form of grotesque
face. with deep burrows across the nose
cheeks and forehead, like New Zealand
i tatooing, and Is painted red, green and
black. There are well-carved ears OF
the side. The mask, or face, projects
above the crown Of the helmet, and the
upper ridge of it has row Of wooden
| pegs which once held a fringe of sea
Hon whiskers. &
| The conclusions which Or. Hough has
drawn from the study of the armors
of the Indians Of North America are as
follows.
/ !. That majority Of the American
tribes had advanced to the stage where
they made use Of body armor; that IS
sedentary tribes.
2. This also implies differentiation O.
weapons. rendering the armor neces
sary or the migration Of the inventor
or indepent invention. The coat O
thick skin which has appeared at al
times and places may have arisen indie
pendently, following the prime idea o
the concomitance Of weapon and anti
weapon but
8. Plate arrnor In America Is clea
case of the migration of invention, 1T
congeners having been traced from Jap
an northeastward through the Amos
Galliaks, and Chukehis, across Behrin.
strait by the intervening island to tn
western Eskimos. Here the armo
spread southwark from the narrowes
part of the strait, passing into the sla
armor of the northwest coast, which i
possibly a development of the plat
idea. The plate armor also may hay
spread to the eastern coast of Nortl
America. Hence 1t appears to be con
elusive that plate armor in Americ
had Asiatic origin. The date of thi
Introduction is not considered.