A Female Eel

Collected by Richard Harbison and Russell Reichelt from the people of the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea. This string figure most likely represents the Highlands Long-finned Eel (Anguilla interioris). Freshwater eels inhabit rivers but return to the ocean to spawn.

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Step-by-Step Video Clips

Written Instructions (String Length: 1 span)

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Full-length video.

Instructions are from: Bulletin of String Figures Association (Tokyo), No. 11 (1985).

With practice you should be able to complete the entire figure in less than 15 seconds using a single continuous flowing motion.