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

THE GONGS 513
The other two new gongs, it will be remembered,'had been
made from trees growing on land belonging to Epmunbangg.
Therefore, a man and his son of this village repeated for these
gongs the ceremony which had just been performed for the ï¬Årst,
calling out the names of the other villages belonging to the same
clan as Epmunbangg, and of those remembered men who in the
past had owned the ground on which the trees had been felled,
the rite being brought to a close with the beating of Hie special
new gong-rhythm by all the men of Epmunbangg.
The yam puddings which had been prepared on theprevious
day were now brought forth, and all the men present fell to eating-
with zest. When they had ï¬Ånished it wanted but about half an
hour to sunset. Some men of the home village manned the gongs,
both the old and the new, and began to beat the rhythm for
tew. Others Went to points of vantage to watch for the arrival
of visiting parties who were coming to dance. As each group
of guests approached Epmunbangg, they began to sing the song
of tam, keeping in time to the rhythm of the gongs. This was
an important occasion, and people came from far and near.
A contingent from Seniang even arrived in canoes,1 and a few
minutes after they had landed they could be heard coming up
the hill to the village, until at last, amid a burst of wild and excited
gong-beating, they appeared on the dancing ground in full festal
array. Their faces were painted, shells were fastened to their
temples, woven shell-disc armlets were on their arms, in their
hair were fowls' feathers and round their necks curved boars’
tusks, new and niang leaves were thrust into their belts behind
and at the sides hanging down over their flanks. Each man
carried before him like a taper or a musket at the “ present "
a long white staff or reed. Bearing these staves, with bodies
erect and heads thrown back, and singing the magniï¬Åcently
deï¬Åant introduction to tam, these men burst on to the dancing
ground with a great thudding tramp which kept time to the
welcoming gongs. In a column, four abreast, they wheeled round
and round the gongs until at last the beating died down and the
men relaxed into a Walk. The soloist of the Seniang party now
began the refrain of ism’ once more ; the other men took it up,
the gongs of the home village gave forth the rhythm, and the
’ According to one note this group of visitors from Seniang was called naai
pa’im.—c. H. W,
Ll