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Old 29th January 2008, 05:42 AM   #1
Nick Wardigo
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Default Rattan helmet, maybe Vietnamese

I'm attaching pics of a rattan helmet I picked up a few months ago that I suspect is Vietnamese, but I wanted to get some other opinions. I have a few reasons for suspecting its Vietnamese origin, but without going into long and laborious detail, I'm simply going to attach an illustration of a South Vietnamese soldier, circa 1850. Note that both helmets have a spiral construction, similar to Chinese and Vietnamese rattan shields. As far as I know, there is no Chinese equivalent to this helmet construction, but I'd like to know if anyone else here is aware of any other cultures that constructed helmets in a similar way. I would think Indonesia could be a candidate, but I'm largely unfamiliar with their armor. In short, I want someone to come up with a plausible candidate other than Vietnam.

The helmet is slightly oval, being 11.25 inches at its longest and a hair under 11 inches at its shortest. Height is about 6.25 inches. The model in the photo is my lovely wife. She enjoys supporting me in my hobby and can't seem to resist putting this thing on her head.
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Old 29th January 2008, 05:43 AM   #2
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A soldier from South Vietnam (Cochinchina), circa 1850.
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Old 29th January 2008, 06:01 AM   #3
fearn
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Neat headpiece, Nick. One thing I'm interested in is how thick the main strand of rattan is. If it's a functional helmet, then the rattan needs to be thick enough to absorb a blow. Otherwise, it could be primarily a fashionable hat, as your wife so ably demonstrates.

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Old 29th January 2008, 06:13 AM   #4
Chris Evans
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Nick,

I chanced on your query out of curiosity and do not profess knowing anything about this helmet. I asked my secretary, who is a Thai and she immediately said that it was Vietnamese. She knows nothing about armour and arrived at her conclusion on the strength of appearances.

Cheers
Chris
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Old 29th January 2008, 08:10 AM   #5
Tim Simmons
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Wives can be really handy in so many ways. What a super thing to have.
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Old 29th January 2008, 01:27 PM   #6
ariel
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Evans
Nick,

I chanced on your query out of curiosity and do not profess knowing anything about this helmet. I asked my secretary, who is a Thai and she immediately said that it was Vietnamese. She knows nothing about armour and arrived at her conclusion on the strength of appearances.

Cheers
Chris
At the end of the day, it is always the secretary who has the last word
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Old 29th January 2008, 04:07 PM   #7
josh stout
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Here is an example of a Chinese rattan helmet. It is a bit different, and may be asymetrical to give more overhang for the face. European accounts describe Chinese soldiers using them in the water, but I would imagine they were widely used.
Josh

http://forum.grtc.org/viewtopic.php?...ighlight=naval
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