The lines that run through the work are known as orriseegé or ’pathways’ and provide a compositional framework for the design. The zig-zagging lines are dahoru’e - Ömie mountains. The rows of small black triangles like sawtooths at their edges are also dahoru’e. Both of the cross-hatch designs are tuböru une - the design of the egg of the Dwarf Cassowary (Casuarius bennetti). Cassowary eggs are an important seasonal food source for Ömie people. The spots within the orriseegé and dahoru’e is a design called sabu ahe representing the spots which can be seen on the sides of a wood-boring grub. This grub is sacred to Ömie people as it plays an important part within the creation story of how Huvaemo (Mt. Lamington) came to be volcanic.
It is a traditional soru’e (tattoo design) which was most commonly tattooed running in one line under both eyes. Today it is applied to Ömie people’s faces for dance performances with natural pigments.