PRIMITIVE WEAPONS AND ARMOR OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 107 



probable that some of the early tribes employing iron in the Philip- 

 l)ines fashioned similar iron helmets and body armor, and later pro- 

 duced more ornamental brass armor and helmets in imitation of the 

 Spanish. Furthermore, many of the so-called Moro helmets were 

 not made by the Moro, but are helmets of ancient Spanish manufac- 

 ture, which have been preserved by the Moro pretty much as they 

 have preserved the old Chinese war gongs of brass. On the other 

 hand, there are many beautiful examples of Moro and Bornean 

 brass helmets and body armor now included in museums or in pri- 

 vate collections erroneously described as dating back to this or that 

 ill-fated Spanish expedition. 



The survival in use of body armor by the Moro as late as 1904 is 

 asserted in the following communication from Dr. E. A, Mearns, 

 United States Army, a member of an American punitive expedition 

 under General Wood : 



Datto Huahiilama's cotta (fort) in a remote part of the Taraca Valley, Min- 

 danao, was reduced and taken from 12 m. to 1.30 p. m., April 7, 1904, by a 

 squadron of Cavalry commanded by Alonzo Gray, which I accompanied, and 

 noted the following : As we entered the fort I found a suit of plaited armor, 

 composed of carabao horn and carabao leather. This was a splendid piece of 

 workmanship; many were seen in the Lake Lanao region that were made 

 entirely of leather, and helmets of carabao horn were not uncommon. 



The' weight of one of the coats of brass and horn mail is excessive, 

 those in the Museum collection average from 20 to 25 pounds, and 

 their length is such as to reach to the knees of the wearer. 



Measurements of one of the coats of brass plate and chain armor 

 now in the Museum, Cat. No. 288210, U.S.N.M., presented by Maj. 

 and Mrs. Edgar Russel, are as follows: Width across shoulders, 65 

 centimeters (25 inches) ; length from shoulders, 71.3 centimeters 

 (27^/2 inches); skirt compo.sed of 15 pairs of vertical plates; waist 

 composed of 12 pairs of vertical plates; horizontal plates on each 

 front of shoulder, 3; horizontal plates on upper back, 4 rows or 4 

 horizontal plates; lower rov/ of jDlates, 15. 



TYPE SPECIMENS OF BODY AUMOR IN MCTSEUM 



Cuirass^ Moro^ Mindanao. — This corselet is made of the rawhide 

 of carabao and is fashioned to fit the body. Openings are cut out 

 of the solid to make an aperture for the head, the sections remaining 

 form shoulder straps; other openings are allowed for the arms. The 

 rawhide originally was a long rectangular piece which, after the 

 apertures were incised, was folded over on itself so as to form a 

 front and rear section to cover the chest and the back of the body. 

 The rawhide before drying was further fitted to the body by means 

 of slashes cut in the hide longitudinally about 3 to 4 centimeters 

 apart and vertically in front and at the back near the portion fitted 

 over the neck and shoulders. This arrangement permitted modeling. 



3021—26 8 



