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

28 MALEKULA ,
region to the south of Lambumbu, such as Metenesal, Vanetaghol,
Vuliembet, Vaniar, and Tarnborav. These are set on Sp1IS and
ridges, so that they necessitate a sharp climb before they can
be reached. Access is easy, as a rule, only from the mountain
behind, and it is generally on this side, behind and above the
settlement, that the secret place, the loghor, is situated. Here it
is inacessible save through the village that owns it. On the sides
of the ridges are the yam gardens; below, in shady valleys,
watered by mountain streams, the bananas are planted. There is
reason to suppose that, in these north-western districts there
is a conception about the properties of things male and female
which is similar to the conception ot igah and ileo in Seniang,
but whether or in what way it influences the arrangement of the
dwelling-houses or dancing ground, We do not know.
Only one description of a dancing ground belonging to this
region has been recorded. This is the dancing ground of
Sarembal village in Lambumbu (Plate VIB), but interesting as it is,
we do not know if it is typical. It is approached along a path
running down the middle of an avenue of upright stones (newt
nan rasugh) some 840 yards long. There are altogether 218 of
these stones which are arranged in successive pairs on either
side. This avenue opens out into a roughly circular space
measuring approximately 60 feet in diameter, and enclosed
by thirty-four monoliths of from 4ft. 6in. to 6ft. Sin. high
(see Fig. 2) called nevat um rmdel. These, too, are arranged
approximately in a circle except for those between the numbers 9
and 25, which are set up almost in a straight line. Between these
seventeen monoliths horizontal slabs oi stone are placed,
piled four deep, so that they form a kind of stone wall or
partition. This is called the nanggumnggur naval, and serves
to separate the most sacred part of the village from the rest.
At either end of it stand tree-fern images (temah bares),
or images carved in other woods (temuh naar or temah nembet),
about 7 feet high, and behind it, outside the dancing ground,
is a raised plot of ground on which the club—house is built. In
this respect the mmggumnggur nevat does not wholly correspond
to the mm‘ save of Seniang for women might and often did pass
beyond the latter into the dancing ground, but beyond the
former no woman may tread. The Mai save indeed indicated