This small but significant treasure is displayed in the centre of the lowest plinth. It is light brown in colour, and stands about 32cm tall with a stone bulb base about 8cm in diameter. The top is carved into the plain outline of a bird’s head and beak; immediately below these are two stubby square wings protruding on either side.
The display is dominated by the Tetale bird figure at the top back of the cabinet, a large elaborate head ornament, about 1.5m from beak to tail. The design may be based on the common Black-necked Stork. Except for the straps (used to attach the figure to the wearer) which are of woven rope, it is made entirely of wood. Its head and neck are covered in shiny black seeds, with two rings of white seeds for its eyes, while the top of the breast and back of the wings and tail are outlined with white seeds and decorated overall with polished red, black and white seeds. Long brown fibres hang from the junction of the neck and breast.
Below this on a central plinth sits a 1.2m long carved wooden canoe prow. This comprises six male figures with bird masks sitting on a log one behind the other with their left hands resting on the shoulder of the figure in front. The front of the log is carved into the shape of a bird’s head.
To the left of the prow stands the skeleton of a Black-necked Stork standing approximately 100m tall; slightly behind is a 60-centimetre-tall wooden sago peg with a carved hornbill head painted in black, white and red. To the left of these two items, pinned to the side wall, is a traditional hand woven bilum string bag made from plant fibres and painted in lime, ochre, black and neutral coloured stripes.
In front of the stork skeleton on the lowest plinth is a small white tray of six shiny black taro beetles, each approximately 15mm in length, next to an oval sago grub basket fashioned from bark decorated with long brown feathers and with its rim outlined in shiny black seeds.
On the right of the cabinet just below the canoe prow is a large clay, 45cm tall, sago storage pot, its neck decorated with a human face painted in white, ochre and black. To the left of its base is a clay bird-like Abelam yam mask. Cane is used to create the outline of two large brown eyes with a beak between them; it is also used to create a simple semicircular lattice work headdress. On the lowest plinth below the mask lies a Malagan hornbill mouthpiece made of wood and shell, painted in lime, ochre and black, next to two obsidian spear heads with elaborately patterned handles.
At the front right of the display sits the skeleton of a Blyth’s Hornbill, about 55cm tall, with its distinctive long, yellow, downward curving beak.