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

‘ CHAPTER X
THE NI MAN GKI 1 SOCIETY
The institution known as Maki, Mangki, or Mwele in the
Central New Hebrides, and as Sukwe or Hukwe in the Northern,
forms, or has formed in the past, the basis of a large part of the
social, economic, and religious life of the inhabitants of these
islands. Characteristically, the M r/mg/zi or Sukwe consists of a series
of grades which are arranged in order of rank, from the lowest grade
entered in childhood or early youth, to the highest grade, members
of which hold the position almost equivalent to that of “ chiefs â€ù.
Typically, also, the men's house is divided into a number of
compartments, corresponding to the number of grades in the
society. The partitions between these compartments may consist
only of logs laid across the floor, or some other conventional
dividing line may be adopted. Within each is an oven or ï¬Åre-
place, at which members of the grade occupying that compart-
ment cook their food. These ï¬Åres are a fundamental feature
of the institution, and each one is sacred, that is tabu to all but
those who have purchased the right to use it. Originally no
man might eat at the ï¬Åre of a grade of which he was not a member.
The “ sanctity â€ù of this ï¬Åre is sometimes reflected in the grade
name : thus in Mota one of the Sukwe ranks is called Av-tapug,
av meaning “ ï¬Åre â€ù, and tapug tabu; and in South-West Bay,
Malekula, there is a Nimzmgki grade named Naamb Tileo, a
compound of naamb â€ù the ï¬Åre ", and tileo “ sacred â€ù. In Ambrym
and elsewhere the making of a new ï¬Åre is a prominent feature
in the ritual of rise in rank, but in Malekula this seems to have
become of secondary importance. Here it is the erection of
wooden or stone images which forms a constant character of the
Nimamgki ceremonies. One of these is cut for each candidate
1 Theoretically this name should be written Mrmgki, the m'- being but the
deï¬Ånite article. It seems, however, that actually the word is never used by the
natives except in the form Nimnngki, and it has therefore been deemed advisable
not to follow the example set by previous writers on the subject, but to adhere
to that set by Deacon in his notes, and give it as Nimangki throughout. The
form Nimenggi, which according to Layard (1928, p. 142, n. 1) is that found
at South-West Bay, is not recorded by Deacon, who spells the name of this
society Nimangki, in all those parts of Malekula where it exist.s.~C. H. W.
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