Altar depicting the first female ancestor (luli)

The word luli means "sacred." It also designates a sculpture representing the first female ancestor. In addition to a female figure, these sculptures include references to boats and trees. They may be supported by a decorated pedestal, like the square one here, on which sacrifices or offerings to the founder-mother were placed.

The outstretched arms of this figure suggest the shape of a boat. The carving of a boat bearing a tree appears below the figure. The boat symbolizes creation, the founding of the family, and the founding of society. It also represents a woman and, by extension, a cosmic womb. The tree also refers to fertility, its leaves symbolizing new life.

In the western islands of the Southeast Moluccas, the contrast between heaven and earth was once important in local beliefs about the universe. The marriage of a masculine sun god and a feminine earth ensured the continuity of life. The cleft-diamond shape at the center of the pedestal, which represents the gold ear ornaments worn by men, is probably a reference to the sun god.