The horizontal lines across the face, torso and arms of this figure relate to the string binding that encased earlier iterations of figurative sculptures in parts of Arnhem Land. Paperbark and, later, wooden figures were wrapped in string and used in mortuary ceremonies. As Mokuy figures, such as this example, became more common, string binding was replaced by bands of painted ochre. This slender figure with its unusually elongated neck has legs that reduce almost to pointed tips, a legacy from when these sculptures were plunged into the earth during mortuary ceremonies.