On the 3rd April I was invited to Cambridge to
attend a workshop on Coconut fibre armour from Kiribati. The Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) is currently displaying
the exhibition ‘The Island Warrior’
one of the many outcomes of the Pacific Presences research project. The coconut
fibre armour from Kiribati has always held a fascination with me and the weapons
that accompany it. I am inspired by the use of local materials, coconut fibre,
shark’s teeth, ray skin and porcupine fish skin to make these fearsome objects.
I think that the armour and weaponry of Kiribati epitomises the resourcefulness
of an island nation. The Republic of Kiribati consists of thirty-three coral atolls
isolated in the Pacific Ocean. The coconut fibre armour is unique to Kiribati
and the Pitt Rivers Museum has the second largest collection of this armour in
the UK after the British Museum. The armour consists of many component parts
the most significant being the cuirass, which covers the torso, tunics,
dungarees, trousers, forearm guards, waistbands and helmets. Today, the
armoured warrior is a symbol of power and strength which appears on t-shirts
and sarongs in Kiribati.
The ‘Island Warrior’ is exhibited in two show cases. One
case displays the historic suit of armour from MAA’s collections and the other displays
a contemporary suit made by artists Lizzy Leckie, Kaetaeta Watson and Chris Charteris. Also inspired by the use of local resources, Lizzy, Chris and
Kaetaeta experimented with materials readily available to them from their home
in New Zealand. They made the cuirass from twisted polyethylene twine used for
fishing trawl nets. This material was successful after having discovered that
the knotting technique used to make the original armour was indeed a similar technique
used in making fishing nets. The overalls were made from sisal bailing twine. Other
man made materials were used for the construction of the armour due to their availability,
firmness and strength. As part of the workshop I was able to have a go at plying
coconut fibre and the knotting and weaving techniques employed by the artists
to make the contemporary suit. This opportunity gave me an insight into the
specialist skills required, the time, effort and teamwork necessary to make a
complete suit. I wasn’t very good at it and in attempting the weaving appreciated
the whalebone needles Chris had made especially for the process, metal needles
were extremely unforgiving on the hands! feel that the interdisciplinary
approach embraced by the exhibition made me really examine the object and
should be an approach adopted more often. The conservation element reminded me
of the approach we recently applied at the PRM to reinterpret the Tahitian mourners costume from Captain Cook’s voyages now on display in the Cook case on
the Lower Gallery. I was lucky enough the be able to stay for the exhibition
opening where we were treated to Kiribati dancing from members of Kiribati community
members living in the UK and working with the British Museum as part of their ‘object journeys’ project. We have on display in the Upper Gallery of the Museum a suit
of coconut fibre Kiribati armour, do go and have a look when you are next visiting
the Museum.
Faye Belsey
Assistant Curator
