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

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MAGIC 683
feels terribly cold. He lies down on his bed, his penis shrivels,
and eventually he dies.‘
Of the magical practices in other parts of Malekula we know
nothing, save that, according to the people of Lambnmbu, the
Big Nambas are ignorant of all " poison â€ù, and these poop?‘
themselves say that they do not practice any form of magic whic
is worked over an enemy’s refuse. Doubtless they have other
types of death-and»sickness magic, and it appears that they
have also some knowledge of garden magic, for reference is made
to songs which are sung for the increase of fruits and plants.
There is a different one for each variety, but the only one which
was recorded is that for yams, which runs as follows : " narhos,
neleia, liml assi, ndram wei.â€ù Unfortunately, we do not know
whether these songs are “ private â€ù magic or whether they are
owned by certain clans and are to be compared with the neerew
rites and spells of Seniang. '
Tr-IE CONDITION OF THE PERFORMER
It has already been pointed out that the dangers attendant
upon working magic are many. The precautions taken by a man
" making " love-magic have been described, but far more elaborate
precautions are taken by anyone who is engaged or about to be
engaged in “ makingâ€ù death- and sickness-magic. It is true that
the knowledge of the counter-magic is always a safeguard against
the misdirection of the evil power, but this knowledge must be
reinforced by the scrupulous care which the magician always
takes not to touch with his ï¬Ångers any of the materials—the
excrement, scraps of food, fragments of nails, or ha_ir—over
which he is working. He manipulates these with two sticks, not
unlike chopsticks, and so protects himself against the dangers of
contagion. Were he not to do so, were he accidentally to corne
in contact with these substances, then the magic would act on
him as well as on his victim. In the sarne way, if the sorcerer
is causing death by " poisoningâ€ù, he is careful not to absorb
any of the “ poison â€ù himself. Thus, if he is going to blow
“ poison â€ù at his enemy, as is done in nimbwilei katkaz, or is going
I According to one note the sorccrcr may be transformed into a dog instead
oi a woman. The means of bringing about death must in this case be diï¬Åerent,
for bestiality seems to be or to have been an unknown, or at most an extremely
rare, vice among the Ma1ekulans.—C. H. W.
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