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

274 MALEKULA
between grades and treat the members, insignia, or image of a
higher one, of which they are not members, with disrespectful
familiarity.
Another distinction between high and low grades is shown
by the place in the dancing ground where the images are erected.
It will be remembered that every Malekulan village in the south»
west is divided into two parts by a boundary called naai save, on
one side of which are the dwelling-houses, on the other the
dancing ground with the amel at the far end. In passing from
the naai save towards the amel the space becomes increasingly
ileo or sacred, the back of the amel being the most sacred place
of all. In accordance with this we ï¬Ånd that the images set up
at entrance to the lower Nimangki grades are planted nearer
to the mum" sew} those of the higher grades nearer to the amel,
while for the highest grade of all, Nam Wemnmg, a stone carved
with many faces and bodies is erected some distance behind the
amel, in the wood at the back called nimbimb lemwemi (“ the
tangled undergrowth â€ù). This stone is very ileo, and is supposed
to be very potent ;' its spirit (nimwinin) = may kill a man of
any grade, other than a member of Nam Wemnmg, whotpuches
it or goes near to it.
The names of the Seniang Nimangki grades in the order in
which they are usually entered, together with the titles which
are bestowed on their members, are as follows :—-
Gmde Name. Grade Title.
. Nuamb Tileo . . Ambkon.
N lmri M Zmngk . . L
. N aamb Loh . . Barang bie.
. Nimbinben . . Mwelip ‘ Mbon,-or Mwelip Sal.
. N eve! . - . Vetndum or Vetn Mbuas.
. N aai M bimbamp . Barang Telrnbwir.
. N ahav Ndal . . Andal 07 Liwis Ndurn.
‘lG’IU1§€A3$P-*
‘ Curiously enough, for the lowest Nimangki grade of all, a rough cheap
image is actually put up temporarily inside the amel. Concerning this, Deacon
writes : " I think this is explicable, however " ; but unfortunately he does not
SHOW in what way.-C. H. w.
' It is interesting that the spirit of the stone is called nimminin, for this
' th d 5 th ul 0 ' it of human b 'n and oi certain lants
is e term use or e so r spir 1 er g p
and animals, which survives death, and which when it appears to men in a. visible
iorrn after death is called a Imus. The use of the term m'm|m'm'» for the spirit
0! this effigy indicates that the stone is regarded as having a personality all
its own, apart irorn that of the dead man, lemds, who uses it as a temporary
abodei—C, H. W. .
3 See n. 1, p. 275.