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. One end has been knotted to prevent the fibres from unravelling and the other end has been left loose. The ends have been loosely fastened together to close off the Neck ornament. 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. A few of the teeth have been stubbed. 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

25209.6 (ethnology)

Department

Pacific

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