Cuirass
ClassificationsArms and Armor-armor
Culture
Dani
Datemid to late 20th Century
Made AtPapua (Irian Jaya) Province, Indonesia
Collection SitePapua (Irian Jaya) Province, Indonesia
MediumProbably bast fiber
Dimensions19 1/4 × 17 × 2 5/8 in. (48.9 × 43.2 × 6.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Jean Brenner
Object number2017.4.26
DescriptionCollected in 1989 in the Papua Province (Irian Jaya) of Indonesia. This object bears a striking resemblance to a bast fiber woven shield already in our Oceanic Collection (2015.7.7). Rather than held, the shape of this item indicates that it would have been worn around the torso to protect a warrior’s mid-section. Rather than use large shields like the Asmat-speaking peoples of Indonesia’s Papua Province, the Dani people of the Baliem Valley tend to use closely-woven rattan cuirasses to protect their torsos from arrows. Groups further east of the Dani such as the Mek and Ok Sibil people tend to use thicker weaves woven like basketry of thicker rattan. Many of the surrounding groups trade for these items, explaining how the little-documented Kimyal people Jean Brenner acquired this cuirass from could have come to possess a typically Dani, Mek, or Ok Sibil item. Though originally intentioned for war, these cuirasses are worn by males for certain ceremonial occasions.
On View
Not on viewCollections
20th Century
