Nias Warrior Armor

[RJBowman]

I found through an oblique bit of research; I looked up the Wikipedia entry of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the article mentions that he is a distant descendent of an Indonesian Ono Niha princess. A quick look around turned up old photos of Nias warriors in armor.

The armor, it turns out, is not all as traditional as you might think; it is made of sheet metal, a material brought to Indonesia in the 19th century by western traders. There are plenty of photos of this armor available on the web, because the warriors continued to wear it into the 1930s.

I could imagine a steampunk scenario in which Indonesia would rapidly adapts western technology as Japan did. Their warriors' armor would be upgraded to steel and brass; mecha gadgetry of a distinctly steampunk style might be incorporated into the armor.

Maybe someone who is not intimidated by accusations of cultural appropriation could build a costume along these lines.

[Prof. Cecily]

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
History and speculative technology for the win.
A great catch, RJ Bowman!

I remain yours,
Prof. Cecily

[Crescat Scientia]

Very interesting!  I wonder how accurate the anthropological notes are.

[Crescat Scientia]

Maybe someone who is not intimidated by accusations of cultural appropriation could build a costume along these lines.

In practical matters, I find the most benign way of finding some way to replicate the relics of a marginalised people is to ask them directly if it is permissible.

Peoples are not uniform in their attitudes towards their own cultures, after all.  Some are highly protective, others unbothered by cosplayers.

Since there is no one uniform rule for when appropriation is appropriate, why not ask the ones most affected by it?

I note the Nias people are still in existence, and have a tourist bureau and museums.

They can probably be contacted and asked if cosplay is an acceptable use of their history.