For centuries the title 'warrior' is embedded in Nias society. As a warrior, the person, their duty, and its costume cannot be separated. To become the protector of a village, a series of task are needed. Therefore, being a warrior is a prestigious status. Today, Nias and its war costume are on the edge of modernity. The thin line between tradition and attraction is created due to globalization and its tourism purpose. To understand the importance of the tradition of Nias war costume, it is crucial to analyze the history through literature and the impact of globalization in Nias today. The result of this research could adapt into creating future Nias war costume that is suitable for the Ono Niha (term for the people of Nias). To fully understand about the condition of this tradition, field research is needed. This research aims to obtain data from Gunungsitoli city and Bawomataluo village regarding the tradition of Nias war costume. The results of this research are the untold story of Nias and the needs of the society regarding Nias tradition in the future.

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The research was conducted to discover the potential of Nias saber’s amulets into fashion accessories and to introduce the tradition of Nias saber’s amulets into society. Nias war costume had its unique way of distinguishing each other and gaining a spiritual strength, which was to accessorize its war costume with small amulets. This tradition was a new inspiration for developing a fashion look with local identity. Exploring Indonesian culture in the form of fashion accessories was done in order to extract Indonesian potential in the fashion industry. Styling small ‘amulets’ into clothing could elevate one’s look while gaining a local meaning. The research applied a qualitative method with data collected through interviews, literature studies, and field research. The outcome of the research shows that Nias war costume’s amulet can be an inspiration for today’s fashion accessories that serve traditional meaning to the wearer.

One of the cultural treasures in Nias is the tradition of weaving made from pandan thorn leaves (Pandanus tectorius) called sinasa leaves or swamp grass (Eleocharis dulcis) called keleömö. Various weaving patterns with very distinctive structures can be found in this area comparing to those of other regions. Some of the compositions are made with a certain color composition. Unfortunately, the knowledge of traditional weaving dyeing techniques in Nias has extinct. Traditionally, the people of Nias use the fruit of the Sianuza tree to produce red, the forest banana tree trunk for purple, and turmeric for yellow. The loss of traditional knowledge in extracting colors and the long process of making natural dyes made Nias people turn to synthetic dyes to color their traditional weaving. This research aims to revitalize Nias natural dyeing practice by exploring Nias biodiversity and adapt the exploration into souvenir products. Through an understanding of natural dyeing techniques that have been carried out in Indonesia and the research material that Nias has, a natural dyeing can be an added value and become an appeal for souvenir products in the area. This is also in line with the concept of sustainability which is currently being echoed globally. The research method was carried out with quantitative methods through experimentation. The data collection stage was done by collecting references around Indonesian natural dyes that could be adapted for Nias such as gambier (Uncaria gambir Roxb), turmeric (Curcuma domestica), and betel nut (Areca catechu L.) with hydrated lime (Ca(OH)2) and vinegar (CH3COOH) as the color amplifier. The exploration stage for natural dyes is carried out by manually introducing efficient natural dye materials and techniques. The results of this research are three explorations of natural dyes as a reference for the development of traditional Nias souvenir products.

Nias headhunter (human head collectors) was once a feared and victorious warrior. The society is famous of its complex social structures, anti-earthquake architecture, detailed wooden and stone statuary, along with its vicious warriors. Since the independence of Indonesia, war costume production stopped. Moreover, the need to pay taxes and daily necessities causes the once great warriors into abandoning his identity completely. For tourism purposes, war costume is produced with cheap materials and less details, resulting in losing its fundamental meanings. This paper aims to analyze Nias unique war costume, specifically the armor and its fundamental values based on the armor's structural design and materials. The data were obtained by ethnographic research in Nias Heritage Museum and the village of Bawomataluo. Literature research were done by collecting cultural and historical books, historical images, previous research article and journals related to Nias custom, history, and war issues. The data were then analyzed using the psychology of dress theory by creating a dialogue between the Nias armor and the self. The result shows that based on its structure, the armor shows 'magnificence' and according to its material, the armor signifies 'power'. By identifying the fundamental meaning of Nias war costume's fundamental values, the identity of the warriors can be an important heritage to Nias descendants and Indonesia society as a whole.