[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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