Sitting in the centre of a small plinth towards the bottom of the cabinet is a small (30cm) wooden sculpture of a seated black mother holding a reddish-coloured male child on her lap. To the left of this sculpture is a 15cm tall somewhat mushroom-shaped Tindalo, a white chalk head with two lines for eyes, a small line for its mouth and a finely carved nose. To the right of the Mother & Child is a 15cm tall black, almond-shaped canoe prow figure with bright white eyes and a generous ochre mouth.
On the front of this plinth are two birdwing butterflies with bright yellow bodies, one with dark blue wings outlined in iridescent blue, the other with green wings tipped with bright yellow and a wide black stripe across the centre .
Towering over the plinth on the back wall is an Erromango barkcloth, the cloth being made from the bark of the mulberry paper tree. It is approx 2m tall, 75cm wide, and schematically depicts a spiritual being; three overlapping ochre circles comprise the head, four long looped ovals, the body. Scattered around are depictions of flowers, plant stalks and a stack of vegetable bags.
At the bottom left of the barkcloth sits a dark brown wickerwork shield inlaid with an intricate pattern of nautilus shell. It is about 80cm tall, rectangular, rounded at the top and bottom, its lower half wider than the top half. The design taking up the top two thirds of the shield comprises the outline of a tall thin human figure.
To the left of this is a 2m tall narrow, round, dark wooden spire (pole) from a chief’s house. At the top of the pole sits a rounded human figure, its thin outstretched arms holding up an arch topped with lattice woodwork and crowned with five tall spikes. On the opposite side of the bark cloth are two more spires both approx 2m tall. One wooden pole is broom-handle thin with a group of seven large conch shells hanging down around the top of the pole while another seven even larger conch shells hang covering the bottom section of the pole. The other more substantial wooden pole is crowned with a carved abstract design. To the right of these on a plinth sits a large round water carrier, a gourd covered with an openwork mesh of fibre topped with a plaited fibrous handle.
At the base of the left hand spire on small plinth sits a dark wooden sculpture of a wahoo fish about 1m long decorated with lines of white triangles along its length and outlining its tail and four fins. It has a long sharp pointed nose and a small white eye. To the right of this sculpture are two other real fish, a Clown Triggerfish with large cream spots on its belly, a white mask over its eyes, a mosaic effect on its black back and bright yellow lips, and a dull grey juvenile Tiger Shark. Below these sits a white kapkap head ornament with black starfish motif next to two dried starfish and a real Orangeblotch Surgeonfish, collected in 1858. To the left of these is a display of real lizards preserved in a clear acryclic box and alcohol.