ceremonial house

…and in general the Sentani ceremonial houses were less elaborate, but the houses of chiefs were equipped with figures standing on short posts protruding up through the floor. The central posts supporting the ridgepole were also carved in human form.

…every village was a circular ceremonial house with low walls and a towering conical thatched roof. These houses were equipped with a wealth of architectural sculpture. On either side of the door stood a massive jamb with a stylized face at the top; the rest of the jamb was ornamented…

In Yap the ceremonial houses were less lavishly adorned. Posts and beams were painted with silhouettes of dugongs and with black-and-white patterns of triangles or were carved with human and animal figures. Crude figures of birds and animals were hung in front of the house gables. The houses…