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

214 MALEKULA l '
The bows (nerww) in Seniang used in warfare in the south-
west are of three kinds, distinguished according to the variety
of wood out of which the bow-stave is made. The strongest of
these is of netong (mangrove) ; the other two are of nemam and
new/in ngilew, which trees have unfortunately not been identiï¬Åed.
The bow-string is always of twisted banyan roots. No holes
are made in the stave for the string to pass through, but it is
fastened on by being tightly hound round the tapering ends
(see Plate VIIIA). In shape, the bows from this ' part of
Malekula are either simple or with some slight degree of
asymmetry in their curve. The famous ogee-shaped bow, which
has been regarded as typical of this island, is found only in the
south-east, where it is called netrmg mum ai. Its area of distribu<
tion appears to be restricted to the region lying between the
Maskelyne Islands and Harnbi Island, and Deacon states that
whenever it is found further west than this, it has been bought
or brought thither from the south-east.
In manipulating the ordinary bow the stave is grasped in the
left hand and held horizontally for shooting long distances,
vertically for short distances.
Deacon left no detailed description of the Malekulan arrows,
but for the most part they appear to be made up of a reed shaft,
with either a carved foreshaft of hard wood and a pointed head of
bone (see Fig. I2), or else with a long pointed head of wood carved
down its length with barbs. The arrows are nocked, but of
course are without feathering. Certain varieties of arrows were
poisoned, some kind of vegetable poison being apparently used,
and these were distinguished from others by being painted blue,
probably round the part where head and foreshaft meet. The
blue paint, called niliengk in Seniang, is made from a variety of
blue stone found in the bush. A man carries his an-ows in a
simple cylindrical quiver, made apparently from the bark of a.
tree, called in Seniang niwangai (see Plate VIIIA). When
shooting, the arrow is held so that it passes between the
thumb and index ï¬Ånger of the left hand, to the palmar side
of the bow-stave and out between the index and middle
ï¬Ånger. The position of the right hand in the string release was
not recorded. To protect the left wrist from the friction
of the bow string a large wooden disc-shaped bracer is worn
(see Plate VIIIA).