How did the Birhor annual ceremony honor the chief spirit of the ancestral hill?

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totem fish mask — Totemism Totem fish mask from the Orokolo Bay area of New Guinea. Painted bark cloth over rattan frame with fringe of dried grass. Height 1.63 m.

The Birhor honor the chief spirit of the ancestral hill during an annual ceremony held at an open gathering place. The ritual is conducted by the clan elder, who acts as a priest, while the men of the clan assemble together.1

To perform the offering, the elder draws a four-sectioned diagram on the ground using rice flour. He sits in one section, facing the direction of the ancestral hill, while the emblem of the clan's totem—such as a wing, a piece of horn or skin, a flower, or a twig—is placed in another section to represent the group as a whole. If an animal is required for the ceremony, it must be provided by members of a different clan who do not hold that specific animal as their own totem. This practice reflects the deep, vital connection between the Birhor and their totems, as well as their profound reverence and fear regarding the spirits of their ancestral hills.1