Waist ornament of human hair

Taona n riri

Kabae ni be

Te nuota. Belt of human hair. The nuota is a waist ornament used as part of the adornment for Kiribati male dancers' costumes. The nuota is made with long lengths of flat 3-ply braided ira n atu (human hair) and these are all black in colour. Each braid is approximately 5mm in width and bristly in texture overall as loose ends of invidivual hair strands stray from each braid. This nuota is currently stored as a bundle.

24153 (ethnology)

35 (Maude Collection)

Pacific