PRIMITIVE AMERICAN ARMOR. 



635 



armor was used in going over to trade with the hostile Eskimo of St. 

 Lawrence Island, which was dangerous and compelled sleepless caution. 

 Capt. Heremleen also saw the band armor (pi. 4) among the Chukchis. 

 Ivory was not observed by Capt. Herendeen, as that material is very 

 scarce on the Asiatic side; but, no doubt, the materials for plate armor 

 were procured by barter with 

 Eskimo. In any event, fossil 

 ivory plate armor was made 

 by the Chukchis. 



Driftwood is also very rare 

 on the Siberian coast, while 

 on the islands and American 

 shore it is abundant. The 

 quest for this indispensable 

 material must have been a 

 strong incentive for the 

 Asiatic migrants to cross the 

 straits. 



As far as known the Chuk 

 chis did not use either hel 

 mets or shields. 



Of interest in comparison 

 with the Eskimo Chukchis 

 armor is that used by the 

 Giliaks of Siberia. This is 

 composed of plates of iron 

 lashed together (fig. 3).* 



They also wear an ingeniously constructed conical helmet with a neck 

 cover. The Giliak coat of plaited thongs, figured in the same work, 

 does not occur in America, but has its counterpart in the cocoanut-fiber 

 armor of the Polynesians and the plaited armor of the Malays. 



The Kamtschadales have bows, arrows, spears, and a coat of mail 

 made of mats or plaited thongs.t 



The Kalmucks have coats of mail bought from their neighbors.:): 

 They use lances. 



Descending the coast toward Japan, which seems to be the origin of 

 the plate armor ranging from that country into tbe American continent, 

 we notice that the Colletske make use of a leather coat covered with 

 plates of iron about 6 inches long and a pot-shaped helmet of smaller 

 plates having neck covers. 



*Schrenck, L. V., Reisen mid Forschungen im Amur-Lande, 1854- 56. St. Peters 

 burg, 1891. PL XLIV. 



Description of fig. 3. Helmet and detail of armor of the Giliaks of the Amoor, Siberia. 

 In the perforations and arrangement this armor resembles the armor of the Eskimo. 



Drawing from Reisen und Forschungen im Amur-Lande, 1854- 56, by Dr. Leopold V. 

 Schrenck. St. Petersburg, 1891. 



f Grieve, Hist, of Kamtschat.ka, Gloucester, 1764, p. 202 



t Pallas, 1, p. 143. 



Fig. 3. 



GILIAK HELMET AND BODY ARMOR. SIHERIA. 



AlW Schrenck. 



