Item X 6062 Kakoto | Garment. Buka Island, North Bougainville, Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. pre 1893

Summary

This cape is known as a kakoto on Buka Island in the northern Solomons. Such capes are worn by the bride's mother and the bride's father's oldest sister at the wedding ceremony. Towards the end of proceedings the groom removes the cape from each woman, presenting his new in-laws with payments of shell money to legitimise the marriage. The designs are symbolic, and use of the cape is restricted to women of the Peits lineage, the group responsible for tribal peace by acting as messenger and law enforcer.

Local Name

Kakoto

Physical Description

A cape made of pandanus leaf and decorated with bands of geometric designs in red and black. It is folded and sewn along two edges.