Something not so peaceful from the South Pacific

We tend to think of the South Pacific Islands as being a peaceful idyll. Nothing could be further from the truth! The Gilbert Islanders (now Kiribati) were the most warlike of the Micronesians and were famous for their coconut fibre armour and for their wide range of vicious weapons made of coconut wood and often edged with shark teeth.

Weapons included 20 foot long thrusting spears, hardwood clubs and daggers tipped with sting-ray spines. Other weapons were designed for slashing; knives, spears and tridents were made from coconut wood and had rows of sharks's teeth fastened to them with coconut fibre (sinnet) and human hair. For protection they wore armour made from woven coconut fibre covering the body and limbs. The armour was made up of trousers, a vest, and a jacket. The jacket had a high collar to protect the back of the head. A piece of dried stingray skin was fastened across the front to protect the stomach from spears. A skullcap made of plaited sinnet, up to 2cm thick, was overlaid with a hat made from the dried skin of a porcupine fish.

The weapons in today's photograph are a pair of Tebana, a kind of knuckleduster made of woven sinnet and formidably armed with rows of shark's teeth.