While the precise role of this hermaphrodite figure is uncertain, it is likely an original ancestor. It "is surely an entity of greatest importance...it seems to play a central role in the pantheon of spirits with the hooked yipwon figures representing its lesser satellites. The yimar figure occupies the central position on the sacred platform at the rear of the Men's House, with yipwon flanking it on either side." (Meyer 1995: 236)

This type of figure "is callled yimar, the name the people use for themselves, which means human being or man." (Smidt in Van Damme 1990: 278)

Provenance:
Alan Steele, New York, 2000
Allen Christensen, Queensland (CC61179)