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

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IX
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THE NIMANGKI AND NELEMEW 349
number of animals involved can be gained from the fact that in
the dancing ground oi Saghsaghmal, which has already been
described, there are a circle and two avenues of monolitlis, com-
prising in all 372 stones. To each one of these a pig was fastened
when the father of the present chief of this village celebrated
a N inumgki. To appreciate how great an economic undertaking
the performance of such a ceremony is, it must be realized, too,
that not only is a large number of pigs necessary, but that they
must be valuable ones, for the Malekulan, unlike the man of
Santa, is interested in the quality rather than the mere quantity
of his beasts, the former being judged according to the develop-
ment of the iusk curvature. Up to and including Tes, the pigs
which are paid are always live ones, but when buying
Rhus Nevat the candidate " kills â€ù them ceremonially with
a pig—killing hammer, and later they are dispatched with
a stick.
In addition to the greater number of pigs involved in the
Lamhumbu ceremonies, it seems that the collection of and paying
for them is a more complicated business than it is in Seniang,
involving as it does, considerable borrowing and lending. When
a man is going to celebrate a nelemew he invites people from
the neighbouring villages to attend, Every guest must bring
a pig with him, which he presents to the buyer. The latter must
then reciprocate by making a return present oi an animal of
equal or greater worth. Particularly does he make efforts to give
back a pig oi high value to any stranger who may be present,
so that this man, on returning to his people, may not speak ill
of him, but rather proclaim him for his generosity. Should
any one who has been invited to a mlemew not possess a pig,
he must borrow one from a friend. It is then incumbent upon
the buyer to give a more valuable pig ,for it in return there and
then, so that his guest may be able to repay the man by whom
the animal was loaned. Generally the buyer is not able at the
time of the iestivities to make a suitable retum to all those who
attend. Two courses are then open to him. He may simply
give no pig on the day oi the feast but make the necessary
reciprocal gift at a later date or, more usually, he will do what
is called nggmlggu. This means that he will present the guest
with a pig of smaller value than the one he received, as a pro-
missory gift, and later when he has acquired an animal of sufficient