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

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130 MALEKULA
interest, however, for they are all descriptive in form and can
be translated as “ my sacred woman " and “ my sacred man "
respectively. In Nesan and Lambumbu the husband's elder and
younger brothers also are called " sacred ". In Lagalag only the
husband’s sister is called “ nevin lel â€ù. In Senbarei the term for
this relative is not recorded, but the wife’s brother is “ the sacred
younger brother â€ù (tasingk kon), and, unlike the practice of other
districts in Malekula, except Mewun, the spouse's parents are
spoken of and addressed as “ sacred father â€ù and “ sacred
mother â€ù (tomongk ken and resyongk kon). Another interesting
terminological feature, found in the kinship system of Lagalag,
is that of addressing and referring to the husband or wife of the
spouse's brother or sister by the term for sibling according to
the relative ages of the spouses. Thus we ï¬Ånd :—
W.B.W. vï¬Åuï¬Ånungk and reciprocally H.Sis.H. mammgk
W.eSis.H. mama , , W.ySis.H. hmnmgk
H.eB.W. tugzmgk , , 1-l.yB.W. naamongk
Whether this type of grouping holds good for other districts
we cannot be sure, for, except in Lagalag and Seniang, the terms
for these affmal relatives have not been recorded, but en
Marou the husband's elder brother's wife and the husband’s
younger brother's wife are called elder sister and younger sister
respectively. In Seniang also, the husband's elder and younger
brother’s wives are called elder and younger sister, but the
spouses of the wife's brothers and sisters and the husband of the
husband's sister are addressed by name ; how they are referred
to is not recorded save in the instance of the wife’s brother's wife
for whom a descriptive term, nimomo nin mmggu mar limbu
(" the woman of my sacred man ", i.e. the wife of my wife's
brother) is used. In Bangasa and Seniang we ï¬Ånd, too, the not
uncommon Melanesian practice of addressing the husband's
brother by the term which the husband uses for him, that is by
a term normally used only between siblings of the same sex}
This is also true in Lagalag and Laravat as regards the husband’s
elder brother, while in Lagalag the same term is used for his
younger brother as is used for the husband himself, and in
Laravat he is addressed by his personal name. Among the
‘ It is peculiarly interesting that a. woman should call her husband's younger
brother by the term for younger brother (m.s.) in Seuiang, since we know
deï¬Ånitely that the junior levirate is practised here.—C. H. W. '
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