09-15-2006, 06:59 AM
Apologies for coming in late to this discussion....
The Koryak were nomadic herders of reindeer. They had a few horses, or rather ponies but on the whole must have fought on foot.
The two chaps in the picture are indeed wearing what the expedition leader described as suits of 'medieval armour'. This was actually made out out of reindeer antler and a lot of the stuff was even constructed from old mammoth ivory of which Siberia has vast stocks of. With reference to the men wearing the armour, they are not actually 'warriors' but two of the expeditions guides who put on the stuff for a photo so your guess is as good as mine as to whether they have strapped the shields to their backs by accident or told 'thats how you carry them'.
However, carvings dating from the 4th century AD of Toba warriors from southern Siberia so them clearly wearing large, possibly flexible shields strapped to their backs.
The Chukchi from north-eastern Siberia were extremely warlike. In fact the Russians never managed to subdugate them, losing an entire regiment (more likely a company) of Cossacks and artillery to them in the mid eighteenth century. The Chukchi descending on them from the hills in dog sleds which they used in warfare.
Apart from bows, other weapons included spears, harpoons, knives (some made out of copper, others Iron which was in short supply). One peculiar weapon used by the Koryak and others was the Parma. This could come in several forms and was primarily a bear hunting spear with either a long narrow blade or a single edged spear, a bit like a small glaive.
The Koryak were nomadic herders of reindeer. They had a few horses, or rather ponies but on the whole must have fought on foot.
The two chaps in the picture are indeed wearing what the expedition leader described as suits of 'medieval armour'. This was actually made out out of reindeer antler and a lot of the stuff was even constructed from old mammoth ivory of which Siberia has vast stocks of. With reference to the men wearing the armour, they are not actually 'warriors' but two of the expeditions guides who put on the stuff for a photo so your guess is as good as mine as to whether they have strapped the shields to their backs by accident or told 'thats how you carry them'.
However, carvings dating from the 4th century AD of Toba warriors from southern Siberia so them clearly wearing large, possibly flexible shields strapped to their backs.
The Chukchi from north-eastern Siberia were extremely warlike. In fact the Russians never managed to subdugate them, losing an entire regiment (more likely a company) of Cossacks and artillery to them in the mid eighteenth century. The Chukchi descending on them from the hills in dog sleds which they used in warfare.
Apart from bows, other weapons included spears, harpoons, knives (some made out of copper, others Iron which was in short supply). One peculiar weapon used by the Koryak and others was the Parma. This could come in several forms and was primarily a bear hunting spear with either a long narrow blade or a single edged spear, a bit like a small glaive.
Kuura/Jools Sleap.
\'\'\'\'Let us measure our swords, appraise our blades\'\'\'\' The Kalevala.
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.livinghistory.co.uk/homepages/palacecompany/">http://www.livinghistory.co.uk/homepages/palacecompany/
\'\'\'\'Let us measure our swords, appraise our blades\'\'\'\' The Kalevala.
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.livinghistory.co.uk/homepages/palacecompany/">http://www.livinghistory.co.uk/homepages/palacecompany/
