PRIMITIVE AMERICAN ARMOR. 637 



As representative of the northwestern coast culture the Tlingits and 

 Haidas are most prominent. Captain Cook noticed that 



They incase almost the entire body in a wooden or leathern armor.. They make a 

 breast plate of wood and an arrow-proof coat of thin flexible strips bound with 

 strings like a woman s stays. They wear helmets with curiously carved visors. * 



A kind of jacket, or coat of mail, made of thin laths bound together with sinews 

 which makes it quite flexible, though so close as not to admit an arrow or dart.t 



It seems, therefore, necessary to treat the Northwest Coast as one cul 

 ture area, where the arts of the ethnic units can scarcely be ditteren- 

 tiated. A close study as marked out by Niblack and shown in the care 

 ful collections of Lieut. G. T. Emmons, U. S. Navy, may disentangle 

 the borrowings of the stocks of this area. 



There are 4 suits of this type in the Museo Arqueologico in Madrid. 

 They were collected by the Malespina Expedition of 1791. The exact 

 locality is not stated and an account of Malespina s exploration was 

 not published, as far as I can learn. 



If one may judge by the Spanish names which have remained on the 

 map, such as Malespina Island, CapeMuzon, Cordova Bay, and others, 

 the Malespina Expedition explored the north side of Dixon Entrance 

 and came in contact with the Haidas as well ns the Tlingits. Although 

 there is some probability of these armors being Haidan, I incline to 

 believe them to beTlingit. 



During the course of this study, one piece of armor of unknown 

 function in the National collection was found to be a greare, or armor 

 for the lower leg (pi. 10)4 This unique piece discloses the hitherto 

 unnoticed fact that the Nortliw^st Coast waxriors were more completely 

 armed than had been imagined. This greave leads to the inference 

 that a similar protection was extended to the upper legs and the arms. 

 With heavy wooden helmet, the slat coat and armor for the Mmbs, we 

 have a picture of an Alaskan warrior armed cap-a-pie. In no way was 

 this armor inferior to that employed in ancient or feudal times or at a 

 late period among the Japanese. The resemblance of the specimen in 

 question to the Japanese greave is striking. 



It is made up of 12 slightly tapering hard wood slats and 8 rods 

 woven together with sinew cord. The portion not covered with 

 weaving bears a totemic painting. When curved around the leg, 



* Bancroft, op. clt. 1, p. 105. 



tCook, Capt. James, Third Voyage, Vol. 11, p. 372. 



t Description of Plate 10. Greave made tip of 12 slightly tapering hard wood slate 

 and 8 rods woven together with twisted sinew cord. The weaving is diversified in 

 the central portion by carrying the threads in pairs alternately over the rods. The 

 portion not covered with weaving bears a totemic painting. When the greave is 

 curved around the calf of the leg, the hollowed out portions, which are also beveled, 

 accommodate the instep and knee joint. Tied at the front with thongs. The holes 

 along the upper edge are probably for attaching the greave to the armor for the 

 upper leg. Length, 15 inches ; width of upper edge, 17^ inches ; width of lower edge, 

 16i inches. (Cat. No. 74438, U. S. N. M. Tlingit Indians, Alaska. Collected by J. J. 

 McLean. 



