TRYBIKE - CoConut Helmet, Antracit Grey (XS)

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The process of making the armor would have been associated with a powerful ritual, instilling in the armor the power and strength of the raw materials used to make it. The warriors would also go through a ritual before going into battle. Wearing the armor It's like this; our main raw material is coir. It is a waste by-product of coconut kernel based manufacturing industries. Since the industrial revolution has started the pollution of air and water has increased. So by using coir we are trying to reduce usage of synthetic material. In manufacturing this coir based helmet, we didn't use any highly hazardous chemicals. We thoroughly consider the chemicals we are using because a helmet, being a wearable thing, should not be toxic to the human skin and should be comfortable and environmentally friendly. Left: Helmet made of coconut fiber. Two ear guards extend from the rim of the helmet, and plaited coconut fiber ties for fastening extend from these ear guards. (British Museum / CC BY SA 4.0 ). Right: Helmet made of porcupine fish skin and coconut fiber. The body of a porcupine fish has been expanded and made into a helmet. Ear guards are cut from the fish's body and a two-ply twisted coir tie is used for fastening (British Museum / CC BY SA 4.0 ). Kiribati became an independent nation in 1979, and since then the image of the “warrior” has re-emerged, and can be seen used on clothing and as mascots for sports teams—a symbol of strength and pride. It has also been repurposed by the Mormon faith Moroni High School in Tarawa, who see themselves as fighting both a spiritual and physical war in the modern world.

It would be sad to think that the Kiribati people lost so much of their culture due to colonization, but thankfully, this is not true. Kiribati separated from the British Empire in 1979, and since then, traditional Kiribati culture has seen a resurgence. Many of the cuirasses feature lozenge-shaped or geometric designs made from human hair; sometimes these diamond shapes are developed to become fish or turtles. Hair is something quite special and precious, but is also easily accessible. T he woven diamond motif seen here is most likely women’s hair. Often combined with coconut fiber, hair was also used for binding the shark’s teeth to swords, and is still used today in dance belts. This set also included vehicle bodies for Optimus Prime Bird and Galvatron Pig, each with detachable soft-plastic heads for use with the actual slingshot portion of the launcher, or other launchers and vehicles in the toyline. Coconut fiber cuirass with struts, decorated with human hair, with porcupine fish helmet (photo: Josh Murfitt, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge)

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The helmet is robust, handy, and comes with an adjustable inner ring which, by means of an adjustable headband, can always be adjusted to the right fit. The hard outer shell gives the helmet, in contrast to foam helmets, a longer life and better protection for children.

Today, there are far more suits of Kiribati armor in foreign hands than native. It is believed the only examples of the armor on the island are in Te Umwanibong, the Kiribati Museum and Cultural Centre on the Tarawa atoll. When the Pacific Presences Project, based at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge decided to recreate the armor, they had to use New Zealand-based artists, as the Kiribati themselves had long lost the know-how. NID cookie, set by Google, is used for advertising purposes; to limit the number of times the user sees an ad, to mute unwanted ads, and to measure the effectiveness of ads.

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Kiribati armor made of coconut fiber could protect against low-velocity musketballs; however, their culture respected life and settled disputes by merely wounding their opponent ( Mary Harrsch / CC BY NC SA 2.0 ) The most highly developed armour in the Oceanic region came from the small Micronesian archipelago of Kiribati. Like the Santa Isabel shield, armour from Kiribati is rare and the Pitt Rivers Museum collection is among the most extensive in the world. One of the defining characteristics of Kiribati is its geography of low-lying coral atolls, meaning that very few raw materials were historically available. Consequently, the i-Kiribati armourer relied on ingenuity to overcome this natural obstacle. The coconut plant, as well as being plentiful, was thought to possess special protective powers. Therefore armour was woven from coconut fibre and often bore woven designs on the chest, either in a darker shade of coconut fibre, or in female human hair. These designs occasionally represented animals such as dolphin in a stylised form. Kiribati armor and blowfish skin helmet, Gilbert Islands of Kiribati, late 1800s (Daderot / Public Domain ) What is Kiribati Armor?