Stoicism and a strong will to survive are effective armor, too. The great Zulu warrior known as Shaka (born in 1787) controlled a force that at one point numbered 600,000 and covered 11,500 miles in southeastern Africa. His armor strategy was similar to the Celts: too much armor makes a warrior soft. Shaka forbade his warriors to wear sandals, believing that tough feet make tough warriors. And tough they were. Shaka's soldiers were trained to cover distances of up to 50 miles a day and retain enough energy to engage in combat. Like the Navajos, the Zulus under Shaka carried shields made of hardened cowhide. In addition, each unit within the brigade wore an identifying mark, such as a feathered armband. Necklaces with amulets indicating the number of soldiers killed by a warrior no doubt made the enemy think twice before throwing a spear. Though changes technology, economy, and social organization have caused forms of protective dress to change over the years, the protective function of dress for human conflict is still quite evident in every culture around the world. Although a list of military and combat dress worn throughout the world would be too lengthy for this essay (and indeed there are many volumes on the subject), perhaps this quote, from a 1975 U.S. government study will underline the importance of protective dress:
Mind Games Armor need not always entail chain mail and Kevlar, however. "Psyching out" the enemy with "war-paint," masks and headdresses can sometimes be just as effective. Anything that confuses, shocks or surprises the enemy always works to a warrior's advantage. Robert Duval blasted Wagner opera to frighten the Viet Cong in the movie Apocalypse Now. In a similar vein, Papua New Guinea Wahgi warriors wear startling headdresses made from cassowary bird feathers and coat their bodies, from head to toe, in charcoal. Both are designed to frighten the enemy into submission, and the charcoal has the added benefit of spiritual protection, as author O'Hanlon explains: "...Wahgi warfare ritual hinges upon the soliciting of ghostly aid. [...C]harcoal is the embodiment of ancestral aid involved in ultimately challenging circumstances [...]" (O'Hanlon, 89.) Incognito Of course, sometimes the best protection is not being seen at all. In many of today's large-scale military operations, for example, camouflage, in the form of earth- or foliage-toned fabric and helmets, is the regulation battle-dress uniform. 500 years ago, when warring factions fought hand-to-hand on open fields, camouflage clothing would've served little purpose when the enemy stared you in the face. Today, though hand-to hand combat is increasingly rare, when it is necessary to fight on the ground, soldiers wear camouflage clothing to conceal their distant, rifle-range positions in trenches and trees. Or even better, they ride in camouflaged tanks. As long as there have been animals there has been conflict. And whether we're armed with a pair of horns, a poisoned arrow or a ballistic missile, all of nature's creatures need protection. Bibliography: -Davis, Paul K. and Allen Lee Hamilton.
Encyclopedia of Warrior Peoples and Fighting Groups. Santa
Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1998. |
