Te tuta. Upper body armour. This specimen of te tuta is one component of te otanga (full suit of Kiribati armour). It is constructed from te kora (coconut sennit) in a hand-knotted technique called te kabaebae. The tuta consists of sleeves and a wide opening for the neck and torso. It provides a protective under-layer of armour for the arms, shoulders, and collar bone areas. In comparison to other armour components made of te kora in a tighter weave such as the tanga (cuirass) or te katibana (protective waist band) the weave of the tuta is looser to accomodate the movements of the wearer. A small hole visible on the side of the arm. The tuta is medium brown in colour.