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

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446 MALEKULA
fundamental to the institution. This is brought out in the story
of its origin.
In the beginning there was no N imangki Tlel. Then one day
a woman who had two sons went down to a reet near the village
of Bonggor. While she was searching for shell-ï¬Åsh here, a cuttle
ï¬Åsh (maghoit) appeared to her. This creature instructed her in
the secrets and ceremonial of the two societies of Nimangki
Tlzl, the Nimargki Misi and the Nani Mdnï¬Åh, and enjoined on
her to pass them on to her two sons so that one should know
those of the Nimangki M isi, the other those of the Nani Mlirdh,
but letting neither know the secrets and ceremonial told to the
other. The woman then returned home, and as her sons grew
older she did as the cuttle ï¬Åsh lad commanded her. Ono son
then made the ï¬Årst lodge of the Nimangki Misi, the other the
ï¬Årst lodge of the Naai Mdrï¬Åh. After this, in order that no woman
might ever know the secrets of the Nimangki T lel, their mother
committed suicide. In this way the two boys became the founders
of the Ni-mangki Tlel.‘
Tnr. CELEBRATION or-‘ Nimanglzi T lel ' .
The occasion for celebrating the rites of Nimangki Tlel, or
rather the incident which is necessary before these can be per-
formed, is the death of one of its members. They are to some
extent :1 prolongation of the funeral rites, and for this reason
the Nimangki Tlel is sometimes referred to as an alternative to
the nitemah performance.‘ Unlike the latter, however, the real
starting point for a Nimangki Tlel is the exhumation of the bones
of the deceased.
When a man has died and the ï¬Årst few weeks of mourning
are past, it may be decided that a Nimang/21' Tlel shall be held
in his honour. The ceremonies will then take place in the loghor
of his village, the loghor which belongs to the society of which
he was a member. The season following upon that in which he
died is ï¬Åxed upon for the performance. This long interval is
i Another version has it that she was strangled by her hinihsnn. This
man appears nowhere else in the myth. The names of uis founders axe not
known. This origin myth IS artjculaxly interesting for Um resemblance which
it beans to the origin myth oip the Nangga society hi Fij|.~Ai B D.
= The lollowing account of the rites oi the Nimungki 11¢! refer to initiation
into the society Nam‘ Miinih. In general scheme the ceremonies oi the Nimmlgki
Illixi are the Samï¬Å, but the details diner considerably —A. B. D.
No rewrd has been innnn of any account of the Nimizngki Mm Celebra-
tions.-C_ n. w. I See Chapter XIX.
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