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

"'1:
v
1
I‘
MAGIC 675
has been recorded rather more fully. In many cases unfortunately
the counter-MAGIC has not been described, but it must be remem-
bered that this always exists.» The word nimesian, although used
for the death- and sickness-MAGIC of Seniang in general, is also
the name for one particular variety of it. Other varieties are
nimbangsei, nmdur, nimbwunu, nimbeei toutop, nimbwilei katkat ‘
or mvimasin katkat and nimesian 11111-iis. These are all distin-
guished both according to the methods used and to the results
effected by them.
To work nimbangsei the MAGICian collects scraps of food
left by his enemy, some of his discarded eating or drinking
vessels, or some other refuse, and places them among or near
by the roots of a banyan tree (nambwa), muttering incantations
over them the while. After a time the roots of the tree will
twine around these fragments, a.nd will constrict them more and
more. As this happens so will the limbs of the victim shrink and
wither until ï¬Ånally he dies. ln nimbwuwu also the sorcerer gathers
something associated with his victim, such as his hair, his
excrement, or a leaf with which he has wiped away his sweat
and carelessly thrown aside, and carries them off into the bush.
Here, far from the village, he puts the refuse into a cycas. In the
stillness of the night he creeps forth, sets ï¬Åre to it, and hurries
away lest harm overtake him. This is said to cause the body and
limbs of the victim to swell up—perhaps the condition known to
the white man as e1ephant.iasis~and eventually to kill him.
N imesian raviis is effected rather differently, though unfortunately
nothing but the bare outline of the procedure has been recorded.
The practitioner takes a certain object, covers it with a leaf,
and puts it on the path along which he believes his enemy is
about to come. The latter walks forward without thought of
what lies in his way and steps over the MAGIC bundle. Soon
after this he falls sick and dies. The form which this sickness
ta.kes is not mentioned. This method of causing harm recalls
the technique of the nimbatin nowor of Mbwilmbar, Who, to cause
war to break out against a certain clan, strews some leaves of the
plant new o’or along the paths leading to the principal village
of that clan, with the result that those who step over the leaves
are ï¬Åred to take up arms against it (cf. Chapter XX). There is no
1 Nimbn/fle1'= sow in the dialect of Wilemp; nsvinrasin = sow in the
dialect oi Seniang.—C. H. W.
5 .