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Originally Posted by fernando
Outstanding material, estcrh.
I know nothing about helmets but, being an interested party, i browsed a bit on the subject.
I have located a blog in which the author visited Ilha das Flores in Indonesia in 2012 and had the chance to meet the Rajá of Maumere Dias Vieira Godinho, who still keeps the helmet once offered to his ancestor Dom Alexo Ximenes da Silva. Indeed this offer was made to seal an aliance, when the King of Portugal treated the Rajá as 'cousin', an attitude well kept in the heart of his descents.
I hope you guys don't get bored with these evasions from the topic 
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Fernando, fantastic detective work, I was hoping to find a colored version of the gold helmet but had no luck, can you image how people who saw this helmet in person wanted to copy it and wear their own version, just in copper or brass etc and not gold.
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Don Jozef Thomas Ximenes da Silva, Raja van Sikka "The Raja of Silkka" (Indonesia) circa 1940, wearing a European style gold helmet, originally presented along with other valuable items including 70 ivory elephant tusks,by Portugal to the Raja Dom Alesu Ximines da Silva in the 1600s, the gifts became a symbol of authority and helped provided wealth and prestige to the royal family. The royal family changed their name to Da Silva as a show of allegiance with the Portuguese.
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