The almost life-size figure is striking on account of the richness of detail of the traditional hairstyle, body jewellery and clothing. These large figures are often associated with mythical ancestors, but could also represent actual, recently deceased persons. Free-standing, they were placed inside the men's houses.
The object was collected by Lieutenant Paul Werber from Freiburg, 1st Officer in the Imperial Navy who sailed the South Seas for a total of two years on the S.M.S. Cormoran and donated about 100 objects from various regions of Oceania to the museum.