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

CHAPTER XI
THE NIMANGKI SOCIETY (ccm£zi.) _
The ceremonies attendant upon entrance to the grades which
follow upon Nam“ M bimbamp (other than Mbalmbal) resemble
each other in general outline. It is true that there are numerous
variations of detail, and as we shall see the rites of Nahmmdal,
Naulzzs, Mbat Ru, and Neliwis have certain characters which
set these four in a class apart. Nevertheless, since the N imzmgki
grade whose entrance ceremonies have been described most fully
is Nevelvel, the eighteenth on Deacon's list, it will be well to
give an account of these here, in order that the reader may
become familiar with the general Nimangki procedure, the
constant theme, as it were, upon which a number of variations
are played.
Neveluel
The man who is desirous of entering Nimangki Nevelvzl goes
to one who is already a member and, addressing him by his
grade title, Muluwun, asks hirn to act as his introducer, saying :
"Muluw/am nerirong mmraas nonggob â€ù (“ Muluwun, I wish to
set up a stone circle â€ù). If the other is agreeable, he appoints a
day when he will come to the candidate's village. When the
time has arrived the introducer keeps his appointment, and he
and the candidate go into the bush to seek out stones suitable
for making the circle called mmggob. These are brought back
and kept in the amel, and another day is ï¬Åxed for setting them
in place. When this day has come the introducer arrives once
more in the candidates village with certain of his mates, and
together they dig a hole and set up the stones in a circle round it.
For this grade the position of the hole is a little behind and to
the left of the emel. A malzmdr bush, a plant characteristic of
.a.l1 the higher grades of the Nimangki, and for this reason called
malamir mulmz/1m, is torn up by the roots and planted in this
hole, and just outside the stone circle a stake called navan mbatia
is erected. At the foot of the navzm mlmtia a coco-nut leaf (nerei
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