This wooden totem is carved by hand and comes from the island of Sumba in Indonesia, made with a human form in honour to the Marapu (ancestral spirits). Since ancient times statues like these were placed inside ones house.
The human figure is an invitation for the Marapu to move inside the statue and to protect and guide the habitants of the house.
Marapu is an ancestral religion practiced in Sumba, believed to be the occupants of the eternal heaven, living in couples and leading a similar existence to men.