Wooden posts, sometimes carved in a standardized human form, are used by the Abelam to contain or represent many types of spirits (see photo). Among these spirits are the Ngwalndu, who are responsible for promoting the welfare and fertility of the people and their yams and pigs. Ngwalndu are kept inside the Men’s Houses, which are the focus of activities such as debates and ceremonies. The bird is an ancestral figure for the clan that owned it.