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

456 MALEKULA
is more secret with its lodges and long seclusion than any of the
South-West Bay societies are to~day, and there must be a good deal
that I do not know."
Unfortunately he did not analyse out the similarities between
the Tamale and the Nimangki Tlel on paper, and owing to the
fragmentary nature of the written record of the latter it is not
now possible to do so in any satisfactory way.‘
THE Nelan OF LAGALAG
In Lagalag there was an institution of the " secret society "
type which in some respects closely resembled the Némangki
Tlel of Lamburobu. Unlike the latter, however, it had a. number
of grades, which members entered successively, receiving a new
title at entrance to each. This institution was known as Nelan.
The titles attached to each grade are as follows :—
(I) Barang bue. (4) Barring berember.
(2) Barang blet. (5) Barang bw-itiul.
(3) Barang viov.
When considering the rites of entrance into this society, a disting-
tion must be made between those who are entering it for the
ï¬Årst time and those who are becoming members of some one of its
1 Aim a careful perusal of Rivers‘ account bi the Tamalr Societies, 1 have
beun unable to perceive nny close similarity between them nnn the Nimangki
Tm. Certain resemblances there undoubtedly are: The possession by each
ni the Tamak societies Oi certain plants, and sometimes nninrnis, which rnsy
not be utilized by non-members: rhri importance of the diflerenl; varieties oi
croton; the seclusion D1 novice! (at entrance to Toma): Lnwoa) snri the nss
oi hï¬Åtl or rnssirs which are wnrn or snrriea But all these are characteristic
bi Mclmesian secret societies as n whole. Some notable diflerenccs between
Nimavlgki mi and the Tamale Deacon has himseli pointed nut, ns for instance
this rm that in the iunner neither urn masks nor the members wearing them
are regarded ss ghosts snn that the sacred plants bi the Ninranï¬Åki Tlal are not
used inr inying tabus nn property. There is, too, no evidence 1 at the Tamnfl
rites are performed in Connection with funeral ceremonies, nn sirnsisrinn which
seem: fundamental to the Nimangli mi. Rivers states, however, that the
Tamale Liwoa holds n great least in connection with the yarn harvest. In
several parts be Melanesia the harvest festival is connected with a rite OI
commemoration OI those who have died during the put year. It is possible.
therelore, am rhis great fclst of the rnwus Liwoa was also connected with Chm
dead nnn that we have here n deï¬Ånite link between this society and the
Nimangki mi Deacon wns far too acute an observer and we clear a thinker
to have mlde z statement concerning a similarity between the umis and the
Nimnngki rm without having weighty reasons lor doing s0. We must conclude
therefore that in the fragmentary account oi the Ninumgki Tlal rites which hss
been lprrssrvrsd there are many and important lacuna; that nsnsnn had 2
lnmw edge be the details inn sociological setting si the rites, without which
we are unable to agpreciate the close parallelrlism between the secret society
gr Lambumbu and t e Tamale ni the Banks which impressed him so strQngly.—
. H, w.