Set of trousers from a suit of coconut fibre netted in large close knots. Part of a set which includes jacket [1884.31.35 .1]. [MOBB [OPS move] 4/9/2017]

Collection type: Object
Description: Set of trousers from a suit of coconut fibre netted in large close knots. Part of a set which includes jacket [1884.31.35 .1]. [MOBB [OPS move] 4/9/2017]
Long description: Dungaree style trousers with a wide section which covers the back from which two straps extend at the top. The straps would fit over the shoulders and would attach at the high waist at the front of the trousers by means of cord ties. There is also an opening between the leggings, there is a length of plant fibre cord attached on either side of this opening. [MOBB [OPS move] 4/9/2017]
Geographical reference: Kiribati
Oceania > Micronesia > Kiribati; Gilbert Islands
Person: Maker Unknown Maker; Field collector Samuel James Whitmee; PRM source Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers founding collection
Date / Period: Date made: Possibly before 1874
Date collected: By 1874
Acquisition information: Donated: 1884
Materials and processes: Material Coconut Fibre Plant, Material Coconut Fibre Textile Plant, Material Net Textile, Process Netted, Process Knotted
Dimensions: Height: max 1450 mm, Depth: max 45 mm, Width: max 490 mm
Object numbers: Accession number: 1884.31.35.2
Research and responses: For the collector's account of his voyage in the Pacific in 1870, see A Missionary Cruise in the South Pacific...among the Tokelau, Ellice and Gilbert Islands, in the Missionary Barque 'John Williams', during 1870, by Samuel James Whitmee (Sydney: Joseph Cook & Co., Sydney, 1871). [AP 27/2/2003; JC 26 8 2009]
These suits often bore woven designs on the chest – either in a darker shade of coconut fibre, dyed by immersion in the mangrove swamp of the lagoon, or in female human hair. These designs occasionally represented animals such as dolphin in a stylised form. Such suits often have a large square back-board rising from the shoulders behind the head, which would protect the warrior from the numerous stones thrown by the women of his own side at his opponents. The full suit of coconut-fibre armour reflects a form of armour very close to Old World clothing, and it has been suggested by some scholars that early contact with Europeans promoted the invention of this full armour suit in Kiribati. However, the earliest records describe this armour alongside the other forms. In the I-Kiribati myth of The War of the North & the South, the hero Auriaria is dressed for battle by his proud father Tabakea, who says: “Come hither, for I shall make thee ready. Put on the corselet of knotted rope, set thy spiked helmet of fish skin upon thy head, strengthen the mesh of thy corselet and fasten on a belly piece of the hide of a sting-ray. Tell all the men of my side that they are to gather here before dawn, for thou shalt be the leader in this war…If thou art wounded, thou shalt return hither, that I may tend thee”. Auriaria and his brother fight a pitched battle with throwing sticks until one of them falls wounded, and the battle is considered to be over for the day. Like Iliadic warfare, the killing of large numbers was not the aim. Instead, I-Kiribati warfare was about the preservation of male honour, and seeking revenge for insults. It is clear that it was very difficult to fight in these multiple layers of textile and fish skin, with spears 4-5m in length. In I-Kiribati duels, each warrior had an assistant to keep him on his feet and point him in the right direction. Relevant Reading: Murdoch, G.M. (1923) Gilbert Islands Weapons & Armour. In: Journal of the Polynesian Society, Vol.32, pp.174-5. Gudger, E.W. (1930) Helmets from Skins of Porcupine Fish. In: Illustrated Science Monthly, Vol.30, pp.432-442. Guiart, J. (1963) The Arts of the South Pacific. London: Thames & Hudson. Grimble, A. (1972) Migrations, Myth & Magic from the Gilbert Islands. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. Koch, G. (1986) The Material Culture of Kiribati. Suva: University of the South Pacific. Grimble, A.F. (1989) Tungaru Traditions: Writings on the Atoll Culture of the Gilbert Islands. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Research Conducted for DCF Cutting Edge 2006/2007 [AM]

Search terms: Armour Weapon, Cordage, Armour, Trousers