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Taona n riri

human history
  • Other Name

    Waist ornament (English)

  • Description

    Taona n riri. Waist ornament. This is a waist ornament made from te burerewa (money cowrie; monetaria moneta) and other te buuro (shells). A belt of te ira (pandanus) has been woven to create the base. A band of red dyed ira has been set horizontally along the belt, then a series of te buuro have been tied down with off-white wool and black thread on top of the red dyed band. The oval, off-white and polished shells are that of te burerewa.

    They are formed with a bulbous surface and an oval, flat base. The ends of the belt feature other varieties of te buuro. A single one which hangs individually is that of te kabana (cowry shell; Cypraea) at one end of the belt. Either end of the belt also two clusters of another kind of te buuro. They are small in size compared to the other types featured on this belt. They are brown in colour with small white linear markings that can be seen upon closer inspection. They feature a short spire and long aperture. Small perforations have been made into them for threading onto the belt. A black basting stitch can be seen from the reverse of the taona n riri. These would be worn only by women or young girls. They would be positioned across the waist above te riri (skirt) and below a waist ornament of te nana (coconut shell) discs.

  • Place
  • Accession Number
    1995.34.14
  • Accession Date
    16 May 1995
  • Other Id

    54930 (ethnology)

  • Department
Taona n riri, 1995.34.14, 54930, Photographed by Daan… … Read more

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