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

34 MALEKULA
as the dwelling-houses, but in addition to the ordinary bamboo
ribs, itseems that after the thatching is completed, four straight
poles called Mai huhu are ï¬Åxed on either side of the house, in
such a way that each crosses the one opposite it over the ridge
pole. Resting on the crutches thus made, and parallel to the
ridge pole, a post known as mzvan temes (“ iruit ghost â€ù) is laid.
This post has no structural utility at all ; it is purely of ceremonial
importance, though what the exact signiï¬Åcance oi it is was not
made clear. The amel as a whole appears to be thought of as
a head. Its front is spoken of as no on amel (“ The face
of the amel“) ;» its door is the mouth (nimbongon aml) ; the
lower part oi the roof on each side, together with the
:*
Fret 4. Diagram of a. house in North—West Ma.1ekula_
ground immediately beneath, is "the ears " (nindilghin
nu amel). The two principal upright posts, that at the front and
that at the back (often there are only these two), are called
respectively the “ man—post â€ù and the “ Woman-post " (numbou
morot and numbou milamp). At the top of the "rnan-post â€ù
a lace is carved ; this is the “ face of the post " (ne on numbou).
The inner meaning of this conception of the amel and the naming
of its different parts were not explained. (See Fig. 3.)
Of the houses of Mewun and the north-west we know
very little, though it seems that in general they resemble
those of Seniang but are not so high as these. Two rough
sketches of what is almost certainly a dwelling-house show a
structure in which the roof reaches to the ground ‘and there are