[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]
P*"' i ..,_ , RITES or BIRTH AND INITIATION 249 necessary words. As these are spoken the pig's tether is handed over to the boy’s father or elder brother, who leads the beast up to the spear. The novice who is still waiting on the other side of the fence is told to thrust his hand through it and to grasp the spear. The man holding the pig then wraps the tether round the spear; the candidate lifts the weapon and touches the pig with it. This is in the nature of an official receipt for the gift. The animal is once more led back to the maternal uncle, who kills it and distributes it for a feast among boys who have not yet been incised. The pig having been disposed of, the novice proceeds to distribute his yarns. These are divided among his father, his mother’s brother, and all those of his friends who are attending the ceremony. It is probably after this that the newly incised boys begin their period of seclusion. They remain in the amel for ten days, at the end of which time a rite called ivmiven ai is performed which celebrates their return to public life. Unfortunately nothing has been recorded of what takes place during the seclusion nor of the ceremony which -terminates it. It is possible, however, that ioeniven ai is connected with the word iveneven, meaning " he shoots â€ù ; if this be so, then it is very probable that this rite is similar to that which closes the incision ceremonies in Lambumbu, wherein the novices shoot with bows and arrows at a certain basket or at a banana tree (see below). Lambumbu zmd Lagalag The incision ceremonies of the north-west show many differences from those of Seniang and in general are more elaborate. The actual operation is performed in the same way, but the long seclusion and its accompanying trials or ordeals are features which appear to be absent from South-West Bay. In Lambumbu the rites in the south are distinct from those of the north. The former are called naavavim and are those proper to this district, but in the north they have been largely displaced by the Laravat rites called in Lambumbu Mwei nambiig. It is of these that the fullest account has been preserved. The general themes of naavavim and ndwei nambï¬Åg are said to be much the same, the latter being a longer and rather more elaborate form of naavavim.
