iron cuirass

[Iain]

Originally Posted by nKante

Ok! It would make sense to wear the cuirass over a padded under garment, and under a padded over garment. And after I looked again you are correct, they are Sudanese warriors. Know I have to reseach kutufi armor.

Thanks Ian

No problem, just a note though on the terminology, what I listed above is Hausa, in a Sudanese context it will be something else.

[Iain]

Just to add a little more photographic material here, I'm not necessarily right about maille under the lifida. It's not always easy to determine if maille wearers are also wearing full lifida.

But here's at least one case of maille over what looks like quite a lot of bulky cloth. Still, I don't see the full quilted garment here.

[colin henshaw]

Originally Posted by Iain

Just to add a little more photographic material here, I'm not necessarily right about maille under the lifida. It's not always easy to determine if maille wearers are also wearing full lifida.

But here's at least one case of maille over what looks like quite a lot of bulky cloth. Still, I don't see the full quilted garment here.

Great image Iain. He won't run out of weapons in a hurry !

[Iain]

Originally Posted by colin henshaw

Great image Iain. He won't run out of weapons in a hurry !

Thanks Colin, he's a chief from Foumban in Cameroon. With the number of knives he's packing, makes you wonder if these were thrown?

[nKante]

Wow! That is an awesome pic. I would think that many daggers would be used as missiles. I wonder how his sleeves behave if they are for throwing!? By the way it gathers at his neck it looks like the chain shirt has a hood. Plus I think I see rings going up the side of his face. Thanx!

[Iain]

Originally Posted by nKante

Wow! That is an awesome pic. I would think that many daggers would be used as missiles. I wonder how his sleeves behave if they are for throwing!? By the way it gathers at his neck it looks like the chain shirt has a hood. Plus I think I see rings going up the side of his face. Thanx!

Yes I would agree, that's a hood. I've attached an image showing a similar maille set.

[nKante]

His chain is definitely over some thick garment.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Iain

Just to add a little more photographic material here, I'm not necessarily right about maille under the lifida. It's not always easy to determine if maille wearers are also wearing full lifida.

But here's at least one case of maille over what looks like quite a lot of bulky cloth. Still, I don't see the full quilted garment here.

This is the image description. "Bamum chief, in Cameroon, Portrait of a Bamum chief of Foumban", Postcard of the Société des missions évangéliques de Paris (Paris evangelical missionary society). 1910/1920

[nKante]

I found what I believe to be an illustrated photo showing a warrior wearing an iron cuirass under his robes. The saddle horn, helmet and circle designs of the horses armor remind me of the set up in Colin's picture.

A Fulbe warrior wearing a much embellished iron helmet (the plates visible just above his right ear) and iron chest armor (plates visible just beneath his right forearm) beneath his robe; the horse wears quilted armor. The object topping his helmet might have been intended to hold feathers.