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Armor vest, Kabasi, 20th century
Woven rattan and orchid fiber, pigment, feathers, cuscus fur
55.9 x 48.3 x 7.6 cm (22 x 19 x 3 in.)
The Marcia and John Friede Collection, a Promised Gift to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco L05.1.284

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Artist Biography: (none) PROVENANCE: Jolika Collection of New Guinea Art PUBLICATIONS: 2005 - "The main part of the armor vest is made of rattan, the upper part of string; this is in contrast to a related type of armor, or cuirass, which is made entirely of rattan. Tiesler (1984) made an exhaustive study of armor vests and cuirasses. The distribution of the armor vest is limited to the Central Highlands of the western part of New Guinea, and is delineated in the east by a line from Dundu (Swart River) to the Upper Balim Valley, and in the west by Wissel Lakes [Lake Paniai] (ibid., 47). The distinction between the cylindrical, stiff lower part of the armor vest, which is made of rattan, and the "tightly looped string shoulder mount" (MacKenzie, 1991: 9, pl. 10) is the distinguishing characteristic of the vest. The shoulder mount consists of two "supple, rectangular pieces" (one to cover the breast, the other for the back), to which a pair of triangular flaps with rattan rings at their pointed ends is attached. It was tightened by fiber ropes threaded through the rings, thereby joining the front and back flaps, and making it possible to wear the vest suspended from the shoulders (see Le Roux, 1950, vol. 3, pl. xlix, figs. 129, 132; also published in Tiesler, 1984, pl. xxvi, figs. 62a and 62b). Small feathers from parrots, parakeets, and white cockatoos were used as decoration, attached directly below the border between the upper part and the rattan tube (Le Roux, 1950, vol. 1, 479). This is essentially the case in the object shown here. The remarkable technique involved in making the rattan tube was first observed by Wirz (1924-34, pl. xii). (See also Le Roux, 1950, vol. 1, 384-87, and 479). Rattan plaiting was usually women's work though men also did the plaiting of the rattan tubes. The cylindrical part was made from a rectangular sheet of rattan plait work of approximately 27 to 32 cm wide and 90 to 100 cm long. The ends were then joined together to create the tubelike construction. Le Roux was "stunned by the beautifully finished, extremely regular and solid plaiting pattern" (Le Roux, 1950: 385). He distinguishes between three elements that make up the final result, as being metaphorically the skeleton, tissue, and skin (ibid., 386). Apart from resulting in the vest being impenetrable, Le Roux also stresses the flexibility of the fit, which he distinguishes from the much stiffer cuirass found in lowland populations in southern New Guinea and the Sepik. (To wear the latter, it was necessary to step into it and gradually pull it upward.) The more flexible vest from the Highlands was slipped on over the head (ibid., 480). Kooijman (1962: 35) makes a somewhat similar distinction between the "hard, stiffly plaited rattan cuirass" of the Star Mountains people and "the much more pliable cuirass used by the Ekari and Moni and in the Balim and Swart Valleys." The armor vest was designed to provide protection against arrow shots and spear thrusts; both the rattan and the string parts of the armor were impenetrable to arrows as well as resistant against spears (Le Roux, 1950, vol. 3, pl. xcii, fig. 7; vol. 1, 479-80). The rattan part covered the breast, belly, back, and sides of the body although the abdomen, neck, and shoulders were largely unprotected. Thus a warrior wearing such a vest bent forward when moving around so as to protect himself from being shot in the neck or abdomen (ibid., vol. 1, 384 and 480). For other examples, see Kooijman, 1962, pl. xvi; Le Roux, 1950, vol. 3, pl. xlix, xcii, xcv. The Le Roux citations may also be found in Tiesler, 1984, pl. xxvi, figs. 62a, 62b, 63, 64." (Catalog #598, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 193.)

Related Keywords
Kabasi vest Francisco San Museums Arts Fine Gift Promised Friede John Marcia Art Jolika group west Dani people Dem Moni Ekari Ekagi Oceania Mountains Sudirman Highlands Central Guinea New Armor Arms fur cuscus feathers pigment fiber orchid rattan Woven 0709200406050546 A361199 L05.1.284 AOA