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

RITES OF BIRTH AND INITIATION 245
practice are threefold, and it seems clear that they are indeed
but rationalizations for a custom whose real signiï¬Åcance is
not known. They say, in the ï¬Årst place, that an UNINCISED man
is impotent or has feeble virility ; secondly, that they incise the
young men for purposes of cleanliness, so that “man he no
smellâ€ù; ï¬Ånally, they maintain that the women do not like
having intercourse with men who are not incised.
When it has been decided that a number of boys have reached
a suitable age, a date is ï¬Åxed for the beginning of netambw. In
preparation for these rites the men erect a fence around the
front of the amell Trunks or branches of the bastard cotton
tree are driven into the ground at intervals in a line parallel to
and a little distance away from the front of the building and
continuing at right angles for a short distance on either side
of it. Across the front and back of these cotton tree stakes
horizontal bamboos are lashed in pairs at three difierent levels,
and through the rough trellis work made in this way coco-nut
fronds are plaited, so as to form an etï¬Åcient barrier through
which no woman or other uninitiated person can see. This
structure is ï¬Ånished ï¬Åve days before that appointed for the
operation. When four days have passed, that is on the eve oi
the great day, the dance netambw is begun at sunset. In this
the novices themselves do not take part ; they are sent to sleep
in some other house, so that they may not be exhausted for the
ordeal of the morrow. For this dance it seems that the gongs are
not-beaten, but instead two long bamboos are set up in the
dancing ‘ground and fastened together in the position of a
St. Andrew's cross. Beside these four men are stationed, two
standing and two sitting. Each is armed with a short stick with
which he strikes the bamboos ; the two men who are sitting strike
each one of the lower " arms â€ù oi the cross; the two upright
men beat each one of the upper " arms â€ù. The rhythm is the
same throughout; a succession of triplets, with the accent on
the ï¬Årst beat of each. The dancers themselves are decked out
and painted each according to his own fancy ; some have their
faces coloured with red and barred with white, others may
paint them black all over. There seems to be no rule determining
the style of ornamentation. When everyone is ready the slow
beat is begun on the crossed bamboos and, in time with this,
the dancers move round, stamping their feet at the beginning