Te tuta

Te tuta. Upper body armour. This specimen of te tuta is one component of te otanga (full suit of Kiribati armour). It is constructed from te kora (coconut sennit) in a knotted technique called te kabaebae. The tuta consists of sleeves and a wide opening for the neck and torso. It provides a protective under-layer of armour for the arms, shoulders, and collar bone areas. In comparison to other armour components made of te kora in a tighter weave such as the tanga (cuirass) or te katibana (protective waist band) the weave of the tuta is looser to accomodate the movements of the wearer. There is some fraying of the fibres visible along the edges of the garment. The tuta is golden brown in colour.