For biographical information see Acc. no. 2002.025 'Additional information'. Saibai Islanders once wore a warrior headdress similar to the iconic dhoeri of the Eastern Torres Strait Islands. It was worn in celebration after successful warfare and is also associated with rainmaking rituals. Dhibal, which is the contemporary version, is larger and has been substantially modified to enhance its visual appeal during performance. Allson Edrick Tabuai has made this dhibal from cane, which he has bound with cotton thread and decorated with brightly- coloured paint. Spectacular radiating spokes covered with white and red feathers surround the face of the performer. At night the dancers shake their heads vigorously to vibrate the spokes, causing a spectacular shimmering effect like the glint of a pearl shell sinking to the bottom in clear water. The white feathers also reference the spray thrown up by binibin, traditional Saibai Island canoes. Tabuai spoke eloquently in describing Saibai Island cultural practices connected with the dhibal: 'We put red (feathers) because of bloodshed. If I call myself traditional I will never take this red out. That's my promise to my father.' The red feathers are irregularly fixed, because, as the artist stated 'Blood never runs in a straight line.' He continued, 'Before we send our eldest son over to fight we rub him with dugong oil and he lays down on top of green leaf, coconut leaf, and we put a new young blade of banana leaf on top of him. If he runs away he's not fit enough to cross, if he passes through his heart is strong and he can go and fight. But today you fight differently, inside here, inside your heart.'(1) Essay by Diane Moon, Associate Curator, Indigenous Fibre Art, Sept. 2004. 1. Tabuai, Allson Edrick. Notes from interview with Diane Moon, May 1997. Artist file, QAG library.