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

656 MALEKULA
THE Wu: Maul o1= LEMBELAG
Bounding the district of Lambumbu on the south, and
dividing it from the bush villages of different culture, there is,
as we have noted, a high range of hills. Near the top of one of
these hills is the wall maul of Lembelag, the centre of the N agharo
Ndmur rites and the most sacred place in all Larnbumbu. In
the centre of this place stands a house called Nanmel Timuul
(the "dangerous house â€ù).- This, though resembling ordinary
houses in most respects, shows one unusual feature. There is
no centre post at the back, but instead the roof at that end is
supported by a wall composed of skulls and stone blocks, the
skulls being set in among the stones. They are the skulls of
the men of Lembelag. Further, in place of the usual centre post
ï¬Ån
mt
¢ _ I, --
NUKUMMM E sm-us
um nenm - . ï¬Åg
sens
-1‘. ‘. II,
Fro. 39.~Diagrammatic sketch of a longitudinal section through the sa/cred
house which stands in the wut maul of Lembelag, (After a rough sketch
by the author.) p
in the middle of the house there are two posts, one near the door,
the other near the back wall. They are both surrounded by a
circle of stones, composed of ï¬Åve large blocks lying ï¬Åat and
placed contiguous so as to form a rough pentagon about the
foot of the post. The post near the door is called nukumbon
um mum, the “ post of the sky ". It is encircled by a number
of upright reeds, bound together and reaching up for about
two-thirds of the total length of the post (v. Fig. 39). The post
at the rear has growing near it a small coco-nut tree. This is the
tree called Hambat, after the culture hero from whose skull it
is said to have sprung. It is a tree of intense sanctity, and it
lends its sacredness to all coco-nuts in the district so that no
coco-nut may be cut. The strength of this tabu is particularly
noticeable in that despite the temptation of earning very consider-
able sums of money, no copra is made in this district, except