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

394 MALEKULA
Nimangki. No parallel is to be found in the rites of this society,
however, to the mbwirmbwir ceremony and to the “stoning "
or " shooting at “ the Nalaw/an structures, while on the other
hand the “hawk dance " of the Nimimgki is not performed for
the Nahzwan ceremonies. The litamale belongs characteristically
to the Nalnuwm, although strangely enough it does occur in a
somewhat modiï¬Åed form in the entrance rites to Nimanglzi
Nevelvel, and perhaps also in those to Nimangki Mbal Ru.
We can now turn to a more detailed study of the entrance
ceremonies of the various grades a.nd of their regalia, and in
these further similarities to the Nimangki will become apparent.
Naamel Limbu
The rites of entrance into Naamd Limbu, Numbou Nemen,
and Numbou Vanmesur are much simpler than those outlined
above. The conferring oi the pig's tusk bracelet, the torch dance
on the evening of the ï¬Årst day, the mbzuirmbwir ceremony, and
the limmate are all omitted, and for Numbou Nemm and Numbau
Vanmesu! even the nimbwmbal is not danced.
When a man decides that he wishes his son to enter the
Nalau/an, he seeks out any man who is a member of the lowest
grade, and arranges with him to act as introducer for the boy.
The youth then constructs in the dancing ground of his own
village a small amel, about ten feet high, which is decorated with
diverse red leaves and flowers such as the naai limbu memal
(a red-leaved cmton), naari memal (a red corclyline), and mbwing-
mblmlngamb. This decoration of the amel is termed isrmggor
naamel, and for it the candidate must pay pigs to his introducer.
For this purpose the father gives his son ï¬Åve or six animals
which the boy leads in turn by a rope up to the gongs. An old
man of high Nalawan rank is now asked to pronounce the pig-
giving formula and hand the pigs to the introducer. He comes
forward, takes the rope from the boy, and says : " T ehnbu/iv X-
Mmbuas nimbmnong ihu binggm mmgk â€ù (“ Telmbwir X—, pig
child he gives unto thce "), the name of the introducer being
inserted. The latter then takes the pigs, one after another,
and gives them to his wife, who leads them away to his house.
The value of these pigs is not rigidly detennined, but usually
they comprise two nitaim and three small mbuas oros. In the