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

573 MALEKULA
oi a great warrior of olden time who is bodied forth by the bull.
roarers to frighten the-boys at an incision ceremony. The ghosts
which are feared above all others are those of men who, through
violence or accident, have dicd- in the fullness of health or.
strength; the ghosts of men killed in battle ; of suicides; of-
those done to death by a shark, or by falling from a tree or,
precipice. Such ghosts are very potent in causing death and they
wander about seeking to devour the souls of men, a power which
they alone possess. If the soul of a man has bccn thus consumed,
it is manifested by the victim throwing out blood.
Ghosts continue to take an active interest in the doings
of the living, and one or two of thorn are believed always to be
present on the occasion of making Nimangkt payments. In this
connection they are much dreaded, for they watch mercilessly
for the man who does not pay adequately and amply for every one
of the various insignia which are " bought â€ù : the penis sheath,
the new name, etc. A man who tries to obtain thcsc things
cheaply, or who does not give what he should for them, is, it
is ï¬Årmly believed, exposed to grave dangers of sickness or death
which will be inflicted on him by these ever watchful beings. ~
Tue Cum‘ or rm: DEAD
In both Lambumhu and Lagalag, the souls of the dead are
appealed to by the living with prayers and -offerings. In‘
Lambumbu a ceremony is performed called rmsangsang, meaning
" they hang up ". There is no indication in the notes as to when
it takes place. It seems possible that it may be connected with
the funeral rites, and that the ghosts to which the offerings are
made is that of the person whose death hm been celebrated ;
or more probably it is a part of an annual ceremony, held in
the month of naval nsangnsang when the living pray to the dead
for general prosperity. A small pudding is made (of which cabbage
must not form an ingredient), wrapped in mvar leaves, and put
into two baskets. These are then hung up in the 11/ut maul, the
sacred place of the clan of the dead man, the sacriï¬Åccr oï¬Åcring
up a prayer as he does this.‘ These offerings are made in the
I The words of the prayer have not been translated. They run: Mdmv/A
nganggilwgsilua 011 mm, nsfmm nimoul man 1's:w:!:m $2 m n0u.‘—C. 1-1. w.