The concentric square motif is nuni’e, the design of the eye. The nuni’e design can also be found woven on armlets and waistbelts which are made from numise (yellow orchid fibre), jukire (black orchid fibre) and ninube (brown orchid fibre).
Between the nuni’e designs, are a combination of two designs - dahoru’e, the design of the Ömie mountains, and visuanö’e, the teeth of the river fish.
The spots are a design called sabu ahe representing the spots which can be seen on the sides of a wood-boring grub. This grub is sacred to Ömie people as it plays an important part within the creation story of how Huvaimo (Mt. Lamington) came to be volcanic. It is a traditional sor’e (tattoo design) which was most commonly tattooed running in one line under both eyes.
The border and the band that runs through the work are known as orriseegé (paths/pathways) and provide a compositional framework for the design.
Text courtesy Ömie Artists.