Kora ulu (canoe prow board)

The sea is animated not only with fish. . .it is also animated with ancestors, with spirits. 

—Wim Manuhutu, historian 

Tanimbar navigators anointed their detachable canoe prow boards with magical ointments prepared from roots and leaves prior to a vessel’s departure to enhance its potency and cause the seas to “boil.” The interlocking single and double spirals, known as kilun etal and kilun ila’a respectively, evoke waves crashing on either side of the vessel. Canoes had characteristics like living beings. Slicing through the water, the dynamic boat was compared to a fearsome sea snake—similar to the sharp-toothed creature perched on this prow’s base, poised to devour its prey. The fierce and swift-moving qualities conveyed in the carving were defining traits, necessary requisites for a successful expedition whose ambition was to secure alliances, engage in trade, or wage war.