armour: body armour; body coverings; arm covering

Suit of armour made of coconut fibre in three parts, consisting of a body suit, arms, and breastplate.

Body Armour, Kiribati, Eastern Micronesia The Micronesian archipelago of Kiribati was the source of Oceania’s most highly developed traditional system of defensive body armour, despite the great challenges of limited raw materials encountered throughout Micronesia. All of the islands of Kiribati are low-lying coral atolls, and so very few raw materials are available. Consequently, this armour is made from plaited and knotted coconut fibre. As this unusual and very durable textile was created, a magical formula was recited over the fibres, which strengthened the armour’s capacity to deflect blows. Some scholars have suggested that the similar shape of Kiribati armour to Western items of clothing shows that this armour resulted from contact with the West, but there is no reliable evidence for this; the very earliest historical documents describe this armour in use. These suits of coconut fibre armour typically came in three pieces. First, the warrior donned the dungaree-like trousers called te otana. Then he put on the vest-like breastplate called te tuta, with its reinforced back-board to protect the warrior’s head from stones thrown by his female supporters at his opponents. These garments were often ornamented with geometric designs or abstract animal symbols such as dolphins, woven in black coconut fibre or human hair. Finally, he put on his bolero-like te tana over-jacket. Beyond this, the warrior also wore a cap of coconut fibre or fish-skin. Each village kept a suit of such armour ready for its chosen champion to don in anticipation of a ceremonial duel. I-Kiribati warriors duelled in these suits of armour with long spears, forked swords barbed with sharkteeth, pointed wooden throwing clubs and daggers of stingray barbs. Each duellist was accompanied by an assistant who kept him upright and armed, performing much the same role as a knight’s squire in medieval Europe. Such duels were not focused on felling opponents or killing them, but were instead largely driven by the desire of i-Kiribati men to preserve their honour. Coconut fibre. Late 19th Century. Collected by the Rev George Eastman in Kiribati circa 1920, and presented to the Horniman Museum in 1969 by the Congregational Council for World Mission.

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