[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]

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ECONOMIC LIFE 175
N evul nim mztemetim, the month of the clearing of the ground ;
Neiml m'n tamien, the month of the cutting of the bushes ;
Nevul m'n nilit, the month of the making of fences ;
Neiml niambwien, the month of planting ;
Nevul niambwi nivim, the month in which planting is ï¬Ånished ;
Neva] nileleletien, the month of setting up sticks for the yam
vines ;
Nevul iilmbnls, the month of growing ;
Nevul relerei, the month when (?) they cut up ;
Neuul neerew, the month of the merew ceremony ;
Neiml mamu. the month of the yellow leaves (oi the yams) ;
Nevul wur mba amet, the month when the leaves are withered at the
bottom of the yam ;
Nam! mbohmg mm‘, the month in which the twigs of the yarn become
like human bones. '
Nev/ul means primarily " the moon ", and it would seem
therefore that the people of Seniang (and indeed of all Malekula)
reckon by the lunar month. How they bring this lunar year into
harmony with the solar year we do not know} but the calculation
of the date of the beginning oi a new year was in the hands of a
specialist. The centres of astronomical knowledge for Seniang
are the villages Rahulemp, Mbwilmbar, and Nemep. These lie
close together and the two last belong to the same clan. Know-
ledge of the stars and the divisions of the year was the property
of the clan magicians of these places, and of these places alone
in this district. It was handed down, as is the knowledge of
clan magic, from father to son, fliough occasionally the clan
magician would instruct other men who were members of his
clan. _It was the clan magician of one of these villages who
decided the times for the planting and harvesting of the yams
for the whole district, according to his calculation of the month.
In I926, owing to the grave depopulation of Seniang, there was
no one holding the position of clan magician in any of the three
villages and a dispute arose between rival claimants to the title
as to the correct month, and as to when the great annual Neerew
festival, which takes place in the Ne-/ml Neerew, should be held.
It is clear from the way in which the months are named that
yams are the most important crop which the people of Seniang
'1 There is a possibility that a thirteenth“ month "was recognized, for Deacon
writes: “ There appears to be one month missing [in the list given above] ;
my informant cannot remember it." But in view of the fact that in the other
districts of Maleknla lrom which we have any information on this subject,
there are only twelve months, it seems probable that the list of Seniang months
given here 15 complete»-—C. H. W.
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