Te tanga

Te tanga. Cuirass. The tanga is one of several components making a full bwai ni buaka (full Kiribati armour). Bwai ni buaka can typically consist of a te bwara n tauti (helmet), te tanga (cuirass), te tuta (protective sleeves), te otanga (trousers), te katibana (waistband) and te bai ni itau (knuckle guards). The fibre components of armour are constructed from benu (coconut husk fibre) and te kora (coconut sennit). A sturdy bone needle would have been needed to tightly weave the fibres into a stiff matting. The tanga consists of a vest backed by a large protective guard board secured around the front by a band at the waist area. The resulting garment is very effective at protecting the main organs of the body against lethal weapons of war. Decorative overlay of ira n atu (human hair) is applied in three diamond motifs running down the centre of the vest, with small rectangular shapes applied to the guard board. The tanga is golden brown in colour due to the natural colour of the kora. While the making of te kora was primarily the work of women, the making of bwai ni buaka was the specialisation of select male experts carefully guarding their konwledge and often passing it through family lines. Bwai ni buaka were custom made to be worn by male warriors. Rituals would be performed as part of the making of bwai ni buaka as well as for the person for whom it was intended.