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

476 MALEKULA
The activities of this society appear to be concerned with
the capture and killing of a human victim. As will be seen from
the account of the rites, there is undoubtedly a very deï¬Ånite
magical element in them, but Deacon was unable to fathom the
real nature of this Nimbe‘ei', and Mr. Boyd, the missionary, who
lived for many years in Malekula, and who at one time made a
study of this society, confessed himself equally baï¬Åled by it.
A similar association exists or existed in Mewun under the
name Nembiki, and in Lambumbu it is said that the mbflgwi is
the same as the Seniang m'mbe'e1'.*
The victim oi the Nimbe'n' is, it seems, a man who has com-
mitted some offence against a member of this society. When it
has been decided to “ punishâ€ù him, the members seize a new-
born infant which must not be more than a few days old. This
infant is usually one which is not wanted by its mother, and
which would therefore probably be killed in any case. They
carry it away to a secluded spot in the bush, and there they take
out and burn its heart. The ashes of this bumt heart are carefully
collected, mixed with some other substance whose nature the
informant refused to disclosc, and put in the food of the selected
victim. This " poison " is said to make him " cranky ", so‘ that
he runs about not knowing what he is doing, and at last falls
unconscious (" dead like sleep "). The men of N1'mI:e’ei now seize
and blindfold him, and having assured themselves that he is
indeed unconscious they take a certain leaf (the informants would
not tell its name) and rub it up and around their victim's anus.
This has the effect of making the oriï¬Åce open wide. VVhen it
has expanded sufficiently, one of the operators pushes his hand
up, takes hold of the end of the intestine and gently pulls it
forth, the leaf being applied constantly to keep the anus open.
If the offence for which the man is being thus punished were
not a very serious one, the intestine is only pulled out a little
way, the protruding end being knotted to prevent it from slipping
back. On the other hand, if the offence were very grave, the
whole of the intestine is pulled out (so it is said), and after it
the heart (navamvfls). (Strange though it may seem, it appears
‘ Mbnigu/i is mentioned in the notes in connection With the death»aud-
sickness magic oi Lambumbu, where at is written: “Mbï¬Å |'—lhe same as
m'mam, but made with snake.â€ù It is possible, therefore, cite the mbdgu/i is
not a secret society, but mum a form of death magic whose methods are similar
to the methods employed by members of the N1mb¢'n'.—C, r-r 'w.
ll s as he use ,