<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><mads xmlns="http://www.loc.gov/mads/" xmlns:mods="http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.loc.gov/mads/
mads.xsd"><authority><topic authority="http://AATesaurus.cultura.gencat.cat/aat/getty_en">bisj</topic></authority><related type="other"><topic>Asmat</topic></related><related type="broader"><topic>sculpture by form</topic></related><variant type="other"><topic>bis poles</topic></variant><variant type="other"><topic>bisj poles</topic></variant> <note xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[ Carved wooden ancestral poles, large in size, made by the Asmat people of the Sepik region. The figures on the sculptures represent deceased clan members who were murdered by enemy clans. A recurring characteristic of most bisj is the phallus, representing the strength of male fertility. These memorial poles were constructed for funerary ceremonies that commemorated the deceased. Designs vary depending on the area or group who constructed the bisj.  ]]></note></mads>