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

CHAPTER XIII
THE NALAWAN SOCIETY
Seniang
The word Nalawan is used by the people of Seniang, like the
word T amate in the Banks Islands, for a men’s association
consisting of a number of named clubs or grades, and also for
these constituent grades themselves. For convenience, the
former will be referred to as “ the Nalnzz/an the latter as
“ a Nalawan â€ù. Of its origin, either historical or mythological,
we know practically nothing. As we shall see, there is good
REASON to suppose that the Seniang Nalawrm is akin to other
sacred societies in other parts of Malekula, but legend only
tells us that Malanggil Veo, the temes of Looremew village,
celebrated the ï¬Årst Nalawzm rites there before any hunfran
beings inhabited that spot. The society is undoubtedly one
which in many respects closely resembles the Nimangki, for, as
in the latter, every grade has its own name, its own ritual and
regalia, and its own title for members ; membership is purchased
by the payment of pigs, and with every rise in the society a man
acquires greater prestige and becomes increasingly ileo. To a
certain extent, it appears that the natives regard the Nulawzm
and the Nimangki as parallel institutions. Thus Amanrantus,
when discussing the subject, said that they were " like two pigs
side by side ", and illustrated his remark by placing his lower
arms with clenched ï¬Åsts parallel to each other to represent the
pigs pointing in the same direction. Nevertheless, membership
of any Nalawan grade, so far as has been ascertained, ‘is
independent of membership of any Nimzmgki. A man can enter
any grade in one institution without previously having become
a member of any given grade in the other. It will be observed,
however, that the man who performs certain functions in the
entrance rites of certain Nalawan, such as Lelmgvaal Nimbwilei
Tanggor, is spoken of by the title Matelau, which is that given
to one who has entered the Nhnzmgki Neliwis, and that in the
higher Nalawan, as, for instance, Niv1'/rzt, the candidate himself
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