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426 MALEKULA
face. Some of the masks, however, are constructed from a
spider's web and are called by the same name as the spider's
web head~dress donned by men of high Nimangki rank, that is
nekambat. These are only worn by members of high Nalawan
grades. Both the nekambal and the ordinary temes mbuhnbal arc,
apparently, regarded as more or less sacred, and it is said that a
man who is unmarried is afraid to make Nalau/an masks lest in
future some harm should befall his children, the assumption being
perhaps that for a young man to make these masks is an act of
presumption. The tame: mbal/mbal are worn by members of the
Nalawan during the ceremony of " stoning " or " shooting at "
the Nalawan structure, each man wearing the mask of the highest
grade to which he is entitled. It has been said that each grade
has its own distinctive masks, but how far this is true or whether
they are not rather associated with the acquisition of certain
privileges purchased during the ceremonies of rising in rank, is
not certain. On this matter Deacon writes :-
"I am still doubtful about the correspondence of masks and
hats with diflerent Nalawans. It appears rather that each mask
or hat is associated with a. deï¬Ånite function rather than» with :1
deï¬Ånite Nalawan. Thus, I am assured that the Napal hat is put
on for the ï¬Årst time when a man ‘ stones the pig ’. It is always
worn by the man who shoots with bow and arrow at the ‘ Nalawan
structure’, the sasmandm, or whatever it may be. It appears,
therefore, that the association of the Napal with Nalawan Nimb~
wilei is simply due to the fact that by the time a man is making
these Nalawans, he will already have ‘stoned the pig ' and will
therefore have the right of ' stoning ' the Nalawan structures and
of wearing the Nnpnl hat."
It seems probable, however, that the following correspondencies
between the type of mask and grade membership are more or
less constant.
The grade Nuamel Limbu, which is entered in childhood, is
associated with a mask called tame: popes. It is said to have
neither a bamboo frame nor any face painted upon it, but to be
made wholly oi spider-'s web, which covers the head of the wearer.
It is interesting that this material should be used for so low a
grade, since in general it is characteristic of the higher Nalau/an.
Tamas numbetep is the name of the hat " belonging to "
Naainggol. It is made of a bamboo framework covered with
leaves of the bread-fruit tree (mbetep) from which it takes its
name. Like the temzs poï¬Åos it has no face painted upon it.
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