Raw materials (part a), pieces of red ochre and a piece of root(?), wrapped in an orange cloth (part b).

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

Ritual funerary stick. A long, thick bundle of plant fibre, triangular in cross section, is densely wrapped in twisted fibres that are pigmented in alternating colour bands of rust-brown, white and yellow. The pointed end is crowned in a tuft of white feathers, while small orange, grey, and white and grey striped feathers and feather down are loosely attached along the length of the stick. The butt end of the stick is wrapped in loose fibres.

Ritual funerary stick. A large, round bundle of plant fibre, wide at bottom and narrowing toward the top, densely wrapped by thin, twisted fibres coloured in wide bands of white, light brown, and dark yellow pigment. Feather down is woven into the fibre in several places, mainly around the midpoint. At top is a smooth stick of forked wood, wrapped into the body of the piece with the twisted plant fibre. It is thickly covered with yellow pigment. Two long handles of twisted fibre are attached either side, at midpoint.

Ritual funerary stick. A bundle of plant fibres are densely wrapped by twisted fibres, pigmented in alternating bands of colour in rust brown, white and dark yellow. Small orange, grey and striped white and grey feathers and down are attached along the length of the stick. The body widens slightly downwards, flaring at the end into a wider portion for several centimetres before narrowing sharply to a blunt point.

Ritual funerary stick. A bundle of plant fibre is densely wrapped by twisted fibres pigmented in alternating bands of colour in rust brown, white and dark yellow. Small white feathers and feather down are attached along the length of the stick, and the ends are capped with hard, dried mud. The stick is flexible.

Body adornment (karawut) woven of bark and fibre. The object is coloured with ochre, charcoal and lime, and takes a basic human shape with head at top, protruding nose running down the length of the face, large open eyes, and open mouth below nose. At bottom are two thin legs with dangling cowrie shells as feet. The chest is thickly padded. Lines of cowrie shells are sewn onto the torso and upper legs, and boar tusks, two per side, are attached along the midpoint edges. At back, a short loop of fibre is attached at mid-upper shoulder.