Bisj pole

Bisj poles are exhibited in front of the houses of men in Papua New Guinea during ceremonies. They are shaped from an aerial root of a mangrove tree, which is carefully chosen then sculpted. This pole represents figures placed above each other, the three small figures at the top holding a crocodile. These poles are symbolically the equivalent of war canoes. They metaphorically lead the spirits of the dead towards Satan, the kingdom of the dead. At the end of the ceremony, they are destroyed and their remains are left to rot in order to transmit their power to food plants.