[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]
CHAPTER XVIII DEATH AND THE _DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD IN THE SOUTH-WEST $ENIANG Strangely enough there has not been recorded from Seniang any myth which clearly relates to the origin of death, nevertheless here, as in many other parts of Melanesia, the inhabitants do not believe that any death is “ natural " except that of very old people. All others are supposed to die either because someone has worked death-magic against them or because they have disregarded certain precautions in practising magic themselves. For instance, should a man die by falling from a tree it is believed that he is the victim of naai nambal, a form of sorcery belonging to Mewun ; should he be eaten by a. shark it is the result of his having practised sex-magic. Suicide is a common phenomenon: it is carried out by hanging or by jumping from a rock or other elevation. For the rnost part it is women who kill themselves; it may be because they are angry with their husbands, or because! they feel that life, particularly their married life, is unbearable. Not infrequently a mother will dï¬Åtroy herself should her new- bom child die, and one case is recorded of a woman killing her- self by means of arrow wounds after her husband's death. The Disposal of the Dead The usual way of disposing of a dead man is to lay the corpse on a stretcher and place it beside a small ï¬Åre inside the deceased’s house. The skull is kept and used for the efligy which is made to commemorate the dead man, but the other bones are thrown into the ruambrmbrkon, the charnel-place of the clan, at theannual fertility ceremony or neerew of the clan to which he belonged.‘ 1 Layard states (p. 208) that this charnel-house, though called nembrmbrkrm. is distinct from the mmbrmbrkm or sacred place of the clan " where the sacred pots are kept ". These are actually only found in the sacred places of one or two clans. It is quite clear from Deacon's statements that the nmibvmbrlzon, the sacred place of the clan where the clan near/aw is performed is also the clan ossuary. Layard also states (loc. cit.) that the bona of the dead are placed in the clan char-nel-house during the annual “ Yarn Christmas â€ù, that is the Nesmw Rahulamp. That this is inaccurate is shown by Deacon’s notes. in which be has deï¬Ånitely corrected his ï¬Årst statement, which agreed with that of Layard, substituting the words " Clan Nurew " for " District Nsnew ".—See below, Chapter,XX.—- C. H. W. 518
