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

RITES OF BIRTH AND INITIATION 247
repeated again and again. As soon as this procession has arrived
in the village, a mock ï¬Åght takes place between the father and
the rnaternal uncle of each candidate. Each man gathers his
friends about him and they range up on opposite sides of the
dancing ground, facing each other. The father and mother’s
brother now step forward, each armed with a stick made from the
mid-rib of a leaf called norovw ohon or nm/ovw mbawmggen. With
these the two men belabour each other, so severely that often
blood flows. Two reasons for this combat are put forward by
the natives ; the ï¬Årst is that the uncle is angry with the father

Fro. 13. Diagram illustrating the arrangement in front of the amel, when the
newly incised boy presents pigs to his maternal uncle.
a a = the audience.
0 = newly incised boy.
= his elder brother.
= the pig.
= the boy's maternal uncle.
= the maternal uncle's brother.
= the fence (nggornggor) round the front of the amel.
.~: e-sea
for making his nephew's penis sore (though why the father
should be held responsible for this is not altogether clear) ; the
second is that the boy “ belongs to â€ù his father and his maternal
uncle, and that therefore when he feels sore, they must be made
to feel sore likewise. When this mutual castigation is over the
ceremony of presenting pigs takes place. The onlookers line up
just in front of the amel, and each candidate steps on to the
dancing ground and is given the end of the leading-rope of the
pig which he is to present. Because he is still weak after the
operation he is accompanied by his elder brother, or by someone
standing to him in this relationship in the classiï¬Åcatory sense,
who holds the rope ï¬Årmly a little lower down, the better to control