Standing wooden ancestor figure. Face takes the shape of a large oval mask with flattened cheeks, a sharp, raised ridge running from forehead to nose. Eyes are large inset shells, with three small animal claws are adhered to the forehead above. Nostrils are wide and lips protrude. Face is painted a light brown with dark brown and red-brown designs in small crescents and curving lines surrounding eyes and cheeks and tracing nose. Cowrie shells line chin and brow and cassowary feathers stand out from head and jaw to create hair and beard. Body stands with feet planted on a small rounded base, knees slightly bent, arms hanging at sides, stomach distended. Decorative bands are carved into lower legs and upper arms, and a plaque with carved face sits on chest. A woven loin cloth is tied around waist. Ties of plant fibre are at ankles, wrists, and ears.

Tumbuan body mask. Tall, conical, mask intended to fit over a dancer’s body is woven of rattan and wood, plastered with mud. Three faces are situated at front, the top being the largest and most prominent. It is oblong, with a pointed head, protruding ears, heavy brow, round shell eyes, and a large protruding flap for a nose. Around the jaw is attached a beard made of a thick layer of short grass. The two faces below are round, with holes for eyes. Ears, noses, beards and brows are similar to the oblong face’s. White feathers are attached to the nose of the bottom. Shells hang from the ears of the top and middle faces. Hand holes are cut into the object near bottom on sides, the left of which is covered with a fringe of long grass. Back is undecorated.

Dress based on the construction techniques of bilum bags. Made of cotton fibre in a stretchy weave. Garment is long and narrow, with no variation in shape other than a slightly narrower top edge. Bottom has a short fringe. Two straps attached to the top edge; two tassels hang from neck at front. Decorative patterning of shaped vertical lines in blue, white, brown and yellow, at both front and back of dress.

Wood carving of a crocodile. Animal is shown at rest, with legs bent and at the sides, tail curved around at back, head extending straight from neck. Surface of body on both top and underside of object is carved to look like scales of various sizes. Head is painted in brown, light grey, orange and yellow, with rows of painted teeth showing between lips, and cowrie shells for eyes.

Bamboo breast plate. Long row of 27 bamboo rods placed parallel to each other, attached together by plant fibre twine that is knotted at one end.

Painted gope board. Long and oval in shape; the front is carved with four circles at centre surrounded by sets of wavy lines, and a line of connected, outward pointing triangles at the outside edge. Carved areas contain pigment infill in yellow, white and orange. Back is unpainted and uncarved. The wood is warped diagonally, causing it to lift in opposite corners.

Belt of rattan. A long strip of thin wood is curved into a circle and wrapped with thin strips of rattan. On the exterior, the rattan is woven into patterns of ‘x’ shapes, triangles, and blocks of colour in dark brown and light yellow. A seam of green plastic runs horizontally through the centre of the designs. The interior rattan is dark brown and undecorated. At each end, a small stick is attached to aid in fastening the belt.

Bamboo flute. A thick, hollow cylinder of bamboo is sealed at one end by a natural node, with a large hole bored through the stalk beneath it. The opposite end is open. The entire cylinder of bamboo has been scratched with small, fine zigzagging lines in a variety of patterns, from squares, to triangles, to long sets of opposing diagonals. The designs are coloured a light brown. Interior is undecorated.

Woven bilum type bag. Plant fibres are rolled to create long strands that are woven in a loose vertical weave, held together by sections of twisting that run horizontally. The small bag is wide at the bottom, narrower at the mouth, with a short handle connected at both outer corners. Handle construction is similar to that of the bag. Base colour is a light brown, with areas of dark brown and dark purple to blue-purple.

Lidded basket. Basket is round, flaring at the midpoint and narrowing toward the rim. It is made of coiled root overlaid with thin strips that are woven tightly around the root, and run vertically. The lip is thick, with strips covering it on the diagonal in a herringbone pattern. A stiff handle rises in an arc over the mouth, covered like the rim. Lid (part b) is constructed similar to the basket and fits snuggly inside the mouth. Its handle is round and protrudes from the slightly convex top.