Human figure, carved from a rootstock of a fern tree

Ferns
Only a handful of these figures has survived. The material is extremely fragile. It is the root of a plant, a large fern. To ensure that the root grew compact and large, the makers bound a tourniquet around the stem of the fern slightly above the ground. As a result, less sap rose from the lower to the upper half of the plant, and so the roots expanded. These roots, mixed with soil, formed a perfect material to sculpt. There is a hole at the top of the head, where the stem of the fern started.

Men’s houses
The rich cultural heritage of the people living in the Sentani Lake region resulted in astonishing creations. Objects from the area now feature in collections around the world. The central building in each village was the men’s house. That was where villagers made and kept their ritual objects. It was where important decisions were made and rituals were performed. The men’s houses in this region are pyramidal. And it was on the apex of the roof of one of these houses that this figure once stood. A photo taken in the early 20th century shows a house surmounted by a fern-root figure like this.

circa 90cm (35 7/16in.)

Source: collectie.tropenmuseum.nl