Ti'i langga

The characteristic feature of the hat is the 40 to 60 centimeter high unicorn-like horn or plume sticking up near the front.

The ti'i langga is created by weaving young leaves of the lontar palm (Borassus flabellifer).

[2] Dili in East Timor, being abundant in spices, were established as one of the permanent bases of the Portuguese power.

[3] The brim of the ti'i langga consists of a double layer of braided palm-strips, giving it extra stiffness.

This can only be explained as the attempt to create the various plume shapes of the European headgear (e.g. on a bonnet or a helmet) using available material (lontar palm leaves).

A man wearing the ti'i langga.
Photograph of Rotenese men in early 20th-century featuring the ti'i langga in various plume shapes.