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

500 MALEKULA
alreaDy been DescribeD: ï¬Årst the rhythm of his father's clan
is given, followeD by the rhythm of his mother's clan anD that
of his Nimzmgki rank}
It will be remembereD, further, that ea/ch of the clan-rhythms
or nambwir has its inDiviDual name. Thus the rhythm of the
clan whose parent village is Uraau is calleD nDimiinmier. The
same is true of all other gong-rhythms : each has a name, anD
a name, be it noteD, which Does not necessarily bear any apparent
relation whatsoever to the concept which the rhythm serves to
convey. For instance, the rhythm calleD iuswus ngileo signiï¬Åes
"Where is . . .?",’ but the meaning of the worDs iuswus
ngileo is not known, though they may have some connection
with the verb in/us, " he asks.â€ù .
A simple example will make the methoD of gongsignalling
more clear. Supposing that a man of a certain village has
lost a pig oi nitavu graDe. He will go to the gongs anD beat
out the rhythm calleD iusu/us ngileo anD follow it with that
calleD Mai tamap, which stanDs for an animal of nitavu
status, thus: “
:';r::{=.w|1w1H-~= H-~= Ii»: linll
,;;g;,{=iï¬Åï¬Åï¬Åï¬Å*“Iï¬Åiï¬ÅrIï¬Ågjï¬Åwlï¬Åï¬Åï¬Å I
These two rhythms beaten in this manner signify, therefore :
“ Is my m'tavu pig at your place? “ or “ Where is my nitavu
pig? " If, now, a man of another village has come across the
pig in question (the informant assureD Deacon that the pig woulD
be recognizeD without any further Description), he goes to his
‘ There is some Disagreement in the notes as to whether the gong~rhythm
of a. man's Nimrmgki tank is given before or after the rhythms of his father's
anD mothers clans. On this subject Deacon writes: “ It is possible that the
Nimangki beat is signalleD am only in the case of men of high rank, on the
principle of niling out as many people as possible with the ï¬Årst gong-beat. Ii
it is a high rank there might be only two or three men of that rank within the
raDius of the signalling. . . . Several informants agree that the gong-beat of
the father's Descent group anD of the mother’s are generally sufï¬Åcient for
iDentiiying 3. man without the aDDition of his Ninumghi beat."
' The exact signiï¬Åcance of the rhythm iusurus ngilao is uncertain; a more
correct renDering may he " Is it at your place " i—A. LB, D.
‘ Concerning his methoD of recorDing the gong-ryhthins Deacon writes:
" I ï¬ÅnD it Ditï¬Åcult to split up the rhythms rm any Sim le time; thus the four
beats of bar two in nani la/mag? are maDe to occupy (so fir as my ear can juDge)
exactly the same interval as the ï¬Åve beats of bar one."
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