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

THE AMBAT, KABAT, AND_HAMBAT 635
The sacred pottery is considered to be the work of the Arnbat
brothers or oi ambat in general, though unfortunately we have
no myth recorded which tells of this. It is therefore signiï¬Åcant
that this pottery plays so important a part in the burial rites of
Butwanabaghap and his sons. Finally, though it is not anywhere
stated that either Ambat or his brothers procreated sacred stones
as did Mwelnggil Veo and Ravaai, they are nevertheless associated
with at least one important monolith—the “ Penis of the Ambat "
at Iumoran, and possibly if, as the following chapter will go to
show, the Ambat are connected with the neerew ceremonies, then
they may well be associated also with the sacred stones which
stand. in the nembrmbrkon of many villages. Among the
geometrical ï¬Ågures which were collected from the South-West
district there is one called Newt N ambat “ the stone of the
Ambat ", but there is no accompanying myth which tells what
this stone was.‘
But the most signiï¬Åcant link between Seniang and the Kabul
is the name of the elder son Mwelnggil Veo. In Mewun this same
word is used as a general term for all sex and fertility magic, which
according to one myth was " made â€ù, that is, invented or introduced
by the two sons of Butwanabnghap. On turning to Seniang we
ï¬Ånd that here, too, the word Malnggil or M welrggil (Deacon uses
both forms indifierently) is used for sex and fertility magic, and
also loosely for other fonns of magic such as that for ï¬Åshing,
house-building, and canoe-sailing. Only death and healing
magic are never referred to thus. As Deacon points out, such
a similarity between the two districts can hardly be fortuitous.
Again, on turning once more to the table of Seniang clans we
ï¬Ånd that the tzmes associated with the ncmbrmbrkon of Looremew
village in Wilemp is Malnggil Veo, who has here a stone which
is like a house, in which he keeps a number of child spirits. One
of these he will give to ’a couple who, desiring to have children,
perform the necessary rites. He is mentioned also, as having
been the ï¬Årst person to make a N alawan ï¬Åre at this village, but
not the ï¬Årst to celebrate a Naluwun in the district. There is no
suggestion here that Malnggil Ven is believed to have been an
ambat, though the evidence for this is purely negative ; he seems
rather by his association with a mmlwmbrkon to be in the same
category as Ternes Mor Vaal, and the name of his wife in
1 See above, p. e27, n. 3.