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

DEATH AND DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD 573
in the Manner of a bundle of &iuMl;¬Årewood—a load which only a
MteMali (ghost) could lift ; at another is a bed of coco—nit fronds
' burnt-out &iuMl;re beside it-clearly the recent couch of a
with a
ghost ; a few yards further on a long noose of creeper is hanging
froM a lofly tree and dangling over the path ; stones, approxi-
Mating in shape to yaMs are hitched up to poles—said to be the
yarns of ghosts; elsewhere are huge water baMboos; lines of
stones are found set up along the paths, with a coco-nut, repre-
senting a pig, tied to each-—tlie reMains of a N iMzMgki Made by
the ghosts during the night ; and everywhere, on every available
t branch or creeper, croton and cordyline sprays are bound
ree,
or suspended, so that one would think that not a single croton
' R d soMe
or cordylinc could be left growing in the district. oun
b seen too a garland of the black eroton niMwibMbang
trees May e , ,
(niMwileMet), which in Soniang is the badge of the Nevinbur,
‘f
but here of the society NiMangki Misi. These are hung up i
<1 a d were a MeMber of this association. ln addition
the ece so
to all these signs of ghostly activity, sticks, stones, branches,
. . d
baskets are &iuMl;¬‚ung and scattered about the paths in a disor er
which suggests the pranks oi a sMall arMy of poltergeist. All
f tlic deceascd’s
these "hoaxes" are prepared by the Men o
villa e at night during the period when the woMen are away.
8
Deacon writes of theM: “ I aM con&iuMl;¬Ådent that the hoaxes
‘ - ' ' N th less the
deceive no one, except possible young girls. ever c
ki of theM is still one oi the sacred things belonging to the
Ma ng , .
Men, therefore respected and reverenced and associated with
‘ TH ret
the other Mysteries of the Men--e.g. the NiMangki e sec
societies."
During these four days other preparations for the oercMony
are going on in the dead Mans village, Around the dancing
ground are set up alternately a nuMber of tall poles (trees shoM
of their branches) and barnboos and coco-nut fronds are inter-
laced between these near the ground so as to forM a low fence
or screen. Carved and painted &iuMl;gures representing ghosts are
' ‘ th danci
fastened to the poles on the side facing away froM e ng-
ground ; and both poles and baMboos are decorated with pigs’
jaws, conches, and crotons. A siMilar but sMaller circular
cnclosure is erected near the path leading to the village. Near
th on s in the enclosed dancing ground a nuMber of structures
° 8 8
called Mai wubnlang are set up, consisting oi two upright poles