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

1
1
1
RITES OF BIRTH AND INITIATION 259
son [or brother] ? I look for him but I cannot ï¬Ånd him. Find
my son [or brother] for me ! â€ù If the sides are of unequal strength,
it there are more men than women, some of the men will go
across and join the other side, but the idea of the rite is clearly
a kind of water battle between the two sexes.
. We are not told what the novices do during their time in the
ghdmal ; whether they are taught any sacred instruments or
have to undergo any ordeals as do those of the north. There is,
however, mention of three sound~producing instruments which
are said to be used in connection with the mlavavim rites. One
of ,these'mbuah wml consists simply of a hole made in the ground
and covered with leaves of the bastard cotton into which a bamboo
tube is inserted. Into this a man " sings " and so produces a
booming noise. Another, called mztua mbopmlnm, is a kind of
flute made from a creeper. The third instrument is more compli-
cated and, unfortunately, the account of it is far from clear.
Apparently the novice sits on the ground and on either side of
him is an upright pole, the two being joined together just above his
head by means of a short transverse pole called naai wululang
" the pillow ". A long bamboo, of which the nodes have been
pierced, is decorated with crotons at both ends, and one end is
supported on “ the pillow" over the candidate's head, while
the other is held by the performer, who blows or “ sings â€ù into it.
Care is taken to fasten the bamboo very securely to the " pillow â€ù
for fear lest the instrument should be jerked and so, slipping,
should hit the lad. From the fact that this bamboo pipe is called
nitzmah we may deduce that the sound produced by means of
it is supposed to be the voice of a ghost.
When the period of seclusion is drawing to an end, on the
last day before the novices return home, a large pudding is
cooked. The following morning the novices go down to the
sea or river to wash themselves, and then they dress themselves
out in all their ï¬Ånest array, with iowls’ feathers thrust into their
hair in front. Thus apparelled, looking very “ flash ", they
take their bows and arrows and shoot at the trees all about,
singing the while. After a time they return to the village. Here
a banana plant has been set up in the dancing-ground, and at
this too they shoot. The gongs are now beaten with the rhythm
naavavai 0’0r; the shooting ï¬Ånishes and they all go into the
ghamal and eat the pudding prepared the previous evening. The