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324 MALEKULA "
wears the body-painting which is common to members of Nzliwis
and Nimew grades. He does not wear a spider's web head-
dress, but the ï¬Ållet mzai lislis is bound on the hawk’s feathers and
stuck in his hair. On his wrists are pig's tusk bracelets and on
his legs wanamngk anklets.
As soon as he stops dancing all the other men present break
into the dance mas’ naamel. When this is over the candidate
purchases his new hawk‘s feather and retircs to be painted red
all over according to the design of this grade and to be decorated
with hawk’s feathers in his hair. He then springs forth on to
the dancing ground, and having sent a friend to fetch the ï¬Ånal
sacriï¬Åcial pig, he continues dancing for a while. When the pig
has been brought he removes the navel mzmbar from where it is
standing to a place close to the amel ; then, taking his bow and
arrows, he mounts this stone and shoots at the pig which another
man is still holding. (The animal is not killed.) He now steps
down and lays the bow and arrows on the ground beside a conch.
There then follows the dance of the trios round the glmgs ; ï¬Årst
the candidate and two of the introducer's mates, and theu three
other mates, but for so low a grade as Ntmmel the third ‘dance
by the three seniors, which is a part of the Ne1/elvel rites, does
not take place.‘ The ï¬Årst two mates who danced then signal
the other three to kill the pig, The rhythm mielmizl/mas is
beaten, the conch is broken against the pig’s forehead, and
the animal is ï¬Ånally dispatched with a spear which has been
fetched from the amel for the purpose. After this the candidate
stands by the new mzmlmr and receives his new title, Telmbwir.
N imew
We have now described as fully as the notes will warrant the
rites attendant upon all the Nimangki grades which are regarded
as native to Seniang, save those of Tortor Nimew, T orlor Moremba,
and Nimew. Of the ï¬Årst two nothing has been recorded, while
the notes dealing with the last are fragmentary, confused, and
contradictory. The following account so far as it goes is probably
reliable, though it is, plainly, very incomplete.
It seems that generally two or three men purchase this grade
at the sa.rne time. Each one having found a man to act as his
1 This is probably true also oi the other low grades which we have been
considering, though there in no direct evidence mi the |ubject.—C. H. W.
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