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62 MALEKULA
another very interesting way in which villages are associated.
As has already been indicated, Mewun and Seniang form,
culturally, two distinct regions‘ They are separated by the
district of Wikise, which was formerly an uninhabited tract oi
country, used as a kind of “ no-man’s-land â€ù, the site of many
conflicts arising out of the traditional enmity between the people
to the north and south, Despite this, every village in Seniang,
at least theoretically, is linked to a certain deï¬Ånite village in
Mewun by what is known as a nahal temes, or " Path of the Ghosts ".
So far as Deacon could ascertain, these nahal Imus did not extend
into the district of Wilemp, except for the village of Loorha,
but were conï¬Åned to Seniang and Tomman Island, But,
since Mewun is a much smaller district than Scniang, it
is evident that there must be many villages left over in
Seniang after all those of Mewun have been paired off. The
“ ghosts " whose “ paths " thus unite the villages are the original
ancestors of the people. They are supposed to have come from
Tomn-nan Island, and later to have passed across irorn the southern
district of Mewun. This they subsequently left to go still farther
north to Banggor near Larnbumbu, and thither these mlhal
temes are also supposed to extend, although there is no such
social intercourse with this northern district as exists between
the villages oi Mewun and Seniang.‘ (Map III, p. xl.)
It has been said that the nahal tame: run from one village to
another ; it is really more accurate to say that they run irom
one clan or descent group to another. Since, however, by patri~
lineal descent and patriloeal marriage, the male members of a
clan are localized in deï¬Ånite areas, the two statements are
practically identical. Each clan ancestor is believed tn have gone
ï¬Årst tn a place in Seniang where he founded a village, and then
on to found another in Mewun, the two villages being thus
bound together by a mzhal temzs. The following is a list of the
villages thus associated ¢ :~
1 It is possible that these ancestral ghosts were Amb/11 (see Chap. xxn,
but there is no direct evidence to show um they W:!e,4C. 1-L w.
1 One rough rm, evidently written at an early am, shows certain at-mam
from and additions co, those Irflm which this table was compiled, and the villages
arc linked as iollows :-
sllfliflflg.
Nembttrn.
Batnetamp.
Lembwilavii
Mewun. Sfllilwg.
Lambatambu. Hurmbar.
Lukhwitah. Lwrlangalat
Lokhtemismokh. Buniurnl
Melpmes. Loormbarap.
M awim.
L/aortivu.
Wiveu .
Loories.
Loon-nandr.