Te ririko

human history

Te ririko. Neck ornament of porpoise teeth. It is made of two material components: wiin te kua kewe (porpoise teeth) and te kora (coconut sennit fibre cordage). A plaited braid makes up the neck band. Both ends have been knotted to prevent the fibres from unravelling. Each strand of the twisted cord has been utilized to thread a single wiin te kua kewe and then intertwined to perceive a double layered look. The Neck ornament features the longest wiin te kua kewe from the central segment of the neck band and finishes with the smallest upon the ends. The roots of the teeth are matte and a dark off-yellow colour with shallow internal cavities. The exposed pointed and curved ends of the teeth are polished and off-white in colour. They are double layered along the neck band. Small perforations have been made with a shark toothed pump drill into the roots of the teeth for te kora to be threaded through. This type of neck ornament can be worn by either men or women at any time.

Accession number: 1940.3 Last Update: 30 Nov 2018
Other Name

Neck ornament of porpoise teeth (English)

Accession Number

1940.3

Accession Date

1940

Other Id

25209.5 (ethnology)

Department

Pacific

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