| 
[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 :84
|