Before the ritual can take place, about thirty men much begin construction on the tower. The tower is the primary construct of the ritual and its anthropomorphic symbology is culturally significant. In the Sa language, gol refers to both the tower and the land diver. The tower symbolically represents the body, with a head, shoulders, breasts, belly, genitals, and knees. The diving platform represents the penis and the struts beneath represent the vagina, which symbolizes a boys leap into manhood.

 

The construction of the tower typically takes between two and five weeks of construction. Around twenty to thirty men help construct it. The men cut trees to construct the body, clear a site for the tower, and remove rocks from the soil. The soil is tilled to soften the ground. The wood is freshly cut, so that it can remain strong. The core of the tower is made from a lopped tree, and a pole scaffoldingtied together with vines stabilize it. Several platforms come out about two meters from the front of the tower, supported by severalstruts. The lowest platform is around 10 meters, and the highest platform is near the top. During the jump, the platform supports snap, causing the platform to hinge downward and absorb some of the force from falling.

 

The vines are selected by a village elder and matched with each jumper’s weight without any mechanical calculations. The vines need to be supple, elastic, and full of sap in order to be safe. The ends of the vines are shredded to allow the fibres to be looped around the ankles of the jumpers. If the vine is too long, the diver can hit the ground hard, but if the vine is too short, then the diver can collide with the tower.