MARTIN MONUMWETOLA: In my time, I normally see my father and my elder uncles use this, and they use that for the gardening purposes. They made the chant over the object and buried the object in the soil.

My name is Martin Monumwetola.

KATERINA TEAIWA (NARRATOR): He is an elder from Kiriwina, in the Trobriand Islands, where this figure is from.

MARTIN MONUMWETOLA: In Kiriwina language, it’s called towosi. It’s a magician, gardening magician.

KATERINA TEAIWA: According to Martin Monumwetola, the chants or spells recited over these objects had to do with the magic of abundance.

Because of their magical properties, figures like these were also once used inside yam houses, where the best and largest yams were displayed. Yams were and continue to be central to Kiriwina culture, both spiritually and symbolically.

At the bottom of this figure, you’ll see a zig-zag pattern.

MARTIN MONUMWETOLA: And the design, that’s the dog’s tooth design. In Kiriwina, it’s called […].

KATERINA TEAIWA: For Martin, this carving is a reminder of the knowledge held by his elders.

MARTIN MONUMWETOLA: Because the old people is the storage of the oral traditions of any tribe and clan. That’s why that object is a very important object. It represents old people.