Unlike Kwoma bark painting, which are painted on one side of the bark, these West Papuan bark sickness shields are made by tying or sawing two flat and pressed base portion of sago palm stem, forming a container used as storage for storing bush medicine. Both sides of the barks are painted with dots, lines and zoomorphic figures depicting 'spirit animals' which is believed to have brought sickness to the village. The shields are fastened to the walls of one of the houses in the village to ward off further dangerous attacks from sickness spirits.