Taona n riri te burerewa

Taona n riri te burerewa. Used as adornment for dance costumes, this ornamental belt features perforated burewa (small white cowrie shells) strung onto a cord of te kora (coconut sennit) then incorporated into a thickly woven belt of baa ni kaina (pandanus leaves). It is tied around the waist of a female dance performer, atop the riri, or dance skirt. All such decorative waist ornaments are collectively termed taona n riri. The burerewa are white in colour with a slight yellow tinge and an overall glossy sheen. They are arranged in two rows down the length of the taona n riri increasing the band's width. Two ties of natural baa ni kaina are incorporated to the ends. There are several losses of the shells along one side of the taona n riri. A small rusty nail is pierced into the tie at one end.

Ingoa Kē

Waist ornament of cowrie shells (English)

Wāhi

Tabiteuea/Gilbert Islands/Kiribati

Accession Number

1936.295

Rā Tāpiringa

1936

Tohu Tuakiri Kē

23002.1 (ethnology)

225 (Maude Collection)

Wāhanga

Pacific