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DEATH AND DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD 521
added the annlets of turtle-shell, which are the insignia of any—
one who has attained the rank of Amel Ndarlamp or higher in
the Nimzmgki ; and on his head was placed a. spider’s web head~
dress, another sign of high N imnmgki status. The nelel mulmmm,
the mark of men of M uluwim rank in the Nimungki, they bound
round his head and fastened another to his belt. In his hair were
placed the hawk feathers of his Nirmmgki grades, and also hibiscus
flowers (singgeul) which are the symbol for the big curved tusker
boars (imap grade) which he killed as he ascended in the N imangki.
Below the knee they bound the leg-band neliwis, the badge of
the Nimzmgki which bears this name; and over his shoulders,
crossing on the chest, they fastened two mats, nimban mbavmbep,
the right to which he had purchased on entering Nevet Nmnbar.
When the corpse was thus arrayed the men went to the amel
and, sitting down just outside the door, prepared the funeral
bier, nivrifat, the privilege of being exposed on this instead of
the ordinary nikambmt mbzm having been acquired by Apwil
Naandu when he became a member of this N alamm. It is made
just like the nivifat constructed for entrance to this grade. In
addition, husked dried coco-nuts, called navzm mbulus, were
painted red, white, and black, and fastened to one end of a number
of short sticks which were thrust into the bier at intervals along
its length. It was further decorated by a kind of creeper, called
namat wulu, sections of which were scraped, painted, and hung
about it.
Men who had taken part in the imbalmbal of a N alawzm
now ranged up in pairs near the door of the amel. Each man held
two pieces of bamboo on which he played by striking one against
the other (imbalmbal) to produce the rhythm 1 1 1 1 1 1 ~1 1
Each couple in turn stepped forward and played their bamboos,
ï¬Årst by the door of the amel, then by the door of the dead man's
house, and ï¬Ånally beside the gongs in the centre of the dancing
ground. When every couple had done this, the funeral bier was
borne to Apwil Naandu’s house ; the corpse was laid upon it and
so carried to the gongs where it was set down.
A screen had been set up along the naai seve (the line marking
off the dancing ground from the rest of the village), so that the
gangs were hidden from the public gaze. Between them and this
screen a stand, mmi var, was then erected on which the bier
was set. This naai 1/or is constructed of four posts of nator wood