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

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DEATH AND DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD 535
six o'clock, sunset. I was just wondering what to do, when a wild
and discordant wailing, interspersed with shrieking and sobbing,
broke out from the sick man’s house. He had just expired,
supported in the arms of one oi his brothers. The wailing had
begun, and oontinued without any interruption for a considerable
time, though at intervals it died down and only two voices, a
male and a female, oould be heard. These belonged to Amhong
Tamis of Iumloor and Luustavu of Uraau, Aih'il's grandson and
grandson's wife.‘ During one such interval, Airnbuas of Uraau,
the mother's brother oi the deceased, came out, his face streaming
with tears. Went up to the gongs and beat on all of them in rapid
succession, beginning with the bass and ending with the treble,
the signals for the presentation pigs received by the dead man
at entrance to all his Nimangki grades. A little later Arnbong
Tamis came out, went to his house, brought thence about twenty
pigs’ tusks in a basket, and disappeared with them into the house
of the deceased. Again he appeared, this time to fetch three
nikambat (spider's web head-dresses), to which Ailiil was entitled
for his Nalau/an ranks. Now I went inside the hut. The dead
rnan had been painted red, for his Nimangki rank, and towls‘
feathers were bound round his head also for his Nimangkis.
Luustavu, sitting on a log oi WOOD by the dead man‘s right hand,
was wailing in a slow alternation on two notes a whole tnne apart,
the only distinguishable words being Tami tikimngk ( My
father ') and Talai mumt (' The hither oi them two’). Aimbuas
was plaiting a burial stretcher ' neat the door oi the house.
“ A discussion then followed as to whether the body should
be smoked in the traditional way, or buried straight oï¬Å as among
‘ school’ boys. The latter was decided upon. A shallow pit was
dug at the end of the house, the body covered with two mats and
wrapped in the burial stretcher, and so interred. Everyone now
sat silent for a while, and then went out one by one. Only uustavu
continued wailing. Next morning as soon as dawn appeared a
fence of bamhoos and coco—nut fronds was erected between the
trees of the mm‘ save, so that the dancing ground was no longer
visible trom the common or dwelling part of the village. Shortly
afterwards there began the blowing of the temes mminggul of the
Nalawa», in memory oi the deceased's Nalau/an ranks. When
this blowing died dovm, the wailing began, and when the wailing
died down the cylinders began airesh, continuing thus for some
time. At intervals Aimbuas beat again the gong signals for the
pigs killed by the deceased for his Nimangki ranks. Finally, all the
mourners manned the gongs and beat the rhythm announcing
retail, the distribution of the dead man's pigs . . . and then that
telling the day on which the distribution o pigs would take place."
* Ailiil of Vanbtll is not recorded on any of the genealogies. It is not clear
how Arnbong Tamis or lurnloor could be his grandson, except in B classiï¬Åcatory
sense, tor Ambong Tunis’ mother was Lirnbor, a wurnnn of UIHGS. Aimbuas,
Aili'l's " mother's brother is 1 nun oi Uraaur Ha is not reoordecl in any
%:eng.l<>g“y and hence it is not possible to trace his relationship to the deceased.—-
- Presumably this was 1 wikwmbml nan», not e niw'r'ai.-C. 1-1. w.