Te riri te kangkang

Te riri te kangkang. Skirt of coconut leaves. This is a short skirt possibly worn by young women. It would be worn around the waist area. Te marewe (the young green coconut leaf from the centre of the palm) are the strands of natural fibre that make up te riri (skirt). They are flat, long in length and thin in width. The marewe fibres have undergone a process of stressing - either in the form of beating or chewing, then stripping to appear more fine and softer. Te kora (coconut sennit cord) holds the waist of te riri. A special method of knotting has been used to intertwine the processed strands of te marewe to te kora. Once constructed, it is immersed in a dye bath. The dark brown colouring of te riri (skirt) could be the result of natural dyeing from plant aerial roots or the use of man made materials such as rusted metals to produce a dark coloured dye for application.