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 of this te ririko has been fastened into a knot, closing off 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 wiin te kua kewe fall loosely along the neck band. The roots of the teeth are matte and pale brown in colour. An internal cavity is visible from the root. The exposed ends of the teeth are polished and off-white in colour. Small perforations have been made with a shark toothed pump drill into 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.