NARRATOR: Arms and armor may seem incongruous with Tibetan Buddhism, but Tibet actually has a long military tradition, stretching back to the Tibetan Empire of the seventh and eighth centuries. And The Met has one of the most extensive collections of Tibetan arms and armor in the world. You can see some examples in this case. Curator Donald LaRocca.

DONALD LAROCCA: The figure in the center of the case shows a Tibetan cavalryman as his arms and equipment would’ve been used from the seventeenth century through the eighteenth century and nineteenth century. This type of equipment remained in use for ceremonial purposes right up to the middle of the twentieth century, which is why we know how it should be put together. The rider wears a steel helmet with gilded decoration. He wears a coat of mail that’s made up of hundreds of interlocking iron rings.

NARRATOR: He also carries a musket on his back, as well as a quiver of arrows and a bow case suspended from his hips.

DONALD LAROCCA: Horseback archery was very important across Asia, and the Tibetans were expert at riding and shooting at the same time. Someone equipped in this way would be expected to be able to ride, shoot his musket, and fire the bow and arrow. And in fact, that was part of the events at the Prayer Festival in which this type of armor was worn up until the 1950s.