The vertical openwork panels that flank the face of this mask are characteristic of the type called

The term

The upswept and spiraling hairstyle on this lithe seated figure is a metaphor for sexuality and, by extension, fertility. It was probably used in connection with headhunting rites, perhaps as the finial for a hook on which an enemy’s skull was hung.

High-ranking Kenyah warriors carried shields decorated with faces during warfare and headhunting raids. The faces, which may represent those of ancestors, served the dual purpose of protecting the bearer while intimidating or even harming the enemy.

These small male and female figures are called pinetau or tau tau, which means "little person." This is the same name that is given to the funerary figures of the Toraja area.