Salakót is a traditional lightweight headgear from the Philippines that is commonly used during pre-colonial era up to the present day, used for protection against the sun and rain. Every ethnolinguistic group in the archipelago has their own variant, but they are all usually dome-shaped or cone-shaped and can range in size from having very wide brims to being almost helmet-like. They are made from various materials including bamboo, rattan, nito ferns, and bottle gourd. The tip of the crown commonly has a spiked or knobbed finial made of metal or wood. It is held in place by an inner headband and a chinstrap. The salakot hat also influenced the pith helmet used by European colonizers. Salakot or also spelled as salacot in Spanish and salacco in French is the direct precursor to the pith helmet widely used by European military forces in the colonial era.
Tagalog men in traditional barong tagalog, esclavina (rain capes), and salakot, c. 1855
A performer (right) wearing a salakot in the 2011 Pahiyas Festival of Lucban, Quezon
Salakot worn with a barong tagalog
The cloth-covered s'laong kinibang of T'boli women
Pointed hats have been a distinctive item of headgear of a wide range of cultures throughout history. Although often suggesting an ancient Indo-European tradition, they were also traditionally worn by women of Lapland, the Japanese, the Mi'kmaq people of Atlantic Canada, and the Huastecs of Veracruz and Aztec. The Kabiri of New Guinea have the diba, a pointed hat glued together.
John Michael Wright, Mrs Salesbury with her Grandchildren Edward and Elizabeth Bagot, c. 1676, Tate Britain
Scythian (Saka tigrakhauda) leader with the pointed cap typical of his people
The Hallstatt culture Warrior of Hirschlanden wears a pointed hat or helmet.
Relief in Hattusa, probably depicting Suppiluliuma II.