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

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3 I4 MALEKULA
nerei mev/iis and another mbuas Mos for the swinging coco-nut.
After this there is a few days’ pause in the proceedings. The next
thing to be done is to erect the lemes in the dancing ground.
Two holes are dug close to the gongs and two of the four lemes
in the ameL—those carved with a face only—-are brought out and
planted, one in each hole. With fliem are put the branch of a
coral tree (Erythrina), a variety of cordyline (naari mlmas), and
a numm mbatia post is erected between them, with, as usual, a
coco-nut frond leaning against its foot,‘ but no stone circle or
monolith are set up. This planting of the tame: is spoken of as
naai tez/m,‘ and for it the candidate pays a nitnvu pig ; a further
lohzmkzfamn pig is given for the mzvan mlmtia, and as usual a
pig for " the opening oi the door“ of the umel, which rite is
performed as already described in the ceremonies of Nu/elvel
and Nimweil. Another few days’ interval ensues, and then
the principal lemzs is cut. This is much larger than the other
four. The candidate and introducer fell a Large tree-tern, and
drag it up to the gongs, where the introducer sets about carving
and decorating it. Only one face is carved, and this, it seems,
is left unpainted, but the eyes are apparently treated in some
special way (i.mm' nimete m'temes),* and a nose-stick (ngungunu)
is put into the nose.
Four days later tam is danced throughout the night and at
dawn the performers are regaled with a pig. Another yam,
called nimbaai temes mbarmbep, is now fastened to the back of the
new tames and the candidate pays a l0honko'0ran pig for the
carving of the face on the tzmes. During the next ï¬Åve days
no further public rites are perfonned, but the introducer comes
daily to visit the candidate, who on each occasion presents him
with a pig. On the third day the temes is set up and decorated.
A hole is dug half way between the gongs and the amel, and
here it is planted with two varieties of wrdyline (mmri mbuas
and naari tamut). A nerivivw (P umbrella palm) leaf is fastened
to its foot and a great number of mbwingmbwingamb leaves are
thrust into its mouth so that it shall appear wholly red. On
1 Term: = m meet, used of two people meeting along a. road. Nani mm
signiï¬Åes " the trees mm " and 5661115 to ruler to the " mmihg " Of the Imus
and tom me branch which are planted in the same hole.-»A. B. D,
1 "The meaning ul mm‘ ii not known, but perhaps it signiï¬Åes ‘he
smooths ' ".—A. B, D. Layard incei-pm.-i this payment as being for " brushing
down the image after carving and C8,"! it Simply mm" mama (P. 163j—
c. 1-1. w.
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