Fill the field, not the margins
Motifs tessellate edge to edge — negative space is the exception, never the layout.
The tiki face anchors the grid
Eyes, brow band and mouth bar set the axis that every surrounding figure mirrors against.
Enata figures read in mirror
Left and right halves invert in tone — the symmetry is the meaning, kin facing kin.
One ink, one weight
Candlenut charcoal reads solid blue-black — no shading, no halftone, only hard edges.