
This ensemble would have been worn by an Ilongot warrior who had successfully taken heads. The Ilongot were a fierce tribe of headhunters who were active until the middle of the 20 th century. The leglets and the belt would have been completed by the striking hornbill headdress familiar through old photographs of the tribe. What is most amazing is the minute delicacy of the work, especially on the wire-bound belt which is not even a centimeter thick. The color red, held in high regard as the color of blood and therefore, vitality, is evident in the pompoms which decorate both pieces.


