Te ririko

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 braided cord makes up the neck band. The ends have been knotted to prevent the fibres from unravelling. A cluster of wiin te kua kewe has been threaded to the knotted ends seperate to the double layer of teeth across the central segment of the Neck ornament. Each strand of the plaited braid has been utilized to thread a single wiin te kua kewe and then intertwined to perceive a double layered look. The roots of the teeth are matte and entirely off-white in colour. Some of the teeth have dark splits along them. They are double layered along the neck band. Small perforations have been made with a shark toothed pump drill into the 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.