At the National War Museum of Canada, they have on display an armored Tlingit vest covered in Chinese coins. Unfortunately, the blurb there explains nothing of the history of the vest, nor what must have been an extensive trade in Chinese currency across the North West (nor much of anything actually).
After some googling, it seems that these vests, while not common, were most definitely not rare.
So my question (s) are: 1, Given that most of these coins were carried over by western traders, were they accepted by said traders as payment for furs etc, or as a good in kind (with the hope of reselling them to First Nations?)?
2, Were the Tlingit aware of the history behind these coins (how much did they know of the Pacific trade)?
3, Just how many vests existed; would each house have one, or clan, or "king"?
An example of said armor:
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/b3/41/07/b341073a5399e00fb4e79fa461d2a18e.jpg
Tommy Joseph (Tlingit), of Sitka, Alaska, is reviving the traditional art of Tlingit armor making. He actually circumnavigated the globe researching them, since most of them are in Russia.
Yup'ik peoples, both of Siberia and Alaska, also had similar armor, as did some northern California tribes, such as the Karuk.
Much of the Tlingit armor comes from their early 19th-century war with the Russians, including the 1804 Battle of Sitka.
Throughout the late 18th and early 19th century, there was extensive and ongoing trade throughout the Pacific (for instance, Tlingit woven cups ended up in the collection of the Hawaiian royal family). Much of this was based on fur, particularly sea otter pelts sold from Alaska to China. "Western traders" weren't the major players; it was Russian and Chinese demand for Alaskan and British Columbian goods.
The armor, including the carved wooden helmets, are incredibly rare. There are only about 95 original helmets in existence throughout the world. One popped up on eBay, but was removed when the owner was educated about what he had. Ultimately, he sold it at auction for 2.2 million dollars.
Here's a helmet, neck brace, and Chinese coin breastplate in the collection the American Museum of Natural History. That breastplate armor is hide. The other primary methods of construction were wooden slats sewn onto a hide base or bundled reeds.
For more information, Tommy Joseph did a TED talk about Tlingit armor.
