370 THE POLYNESIAN WANDERINGS. 



Polynesia has obscured the lae element ; but the sacrosanct content of the 

 viarae in the four-godded theology of eastern Polynesian is after all but a 

 logical outgrowth of the Nuclear Polynesian malae as the civic center of 

 social life where god is sole, supreme — and Lucretian. We note with 

 interest that the Maori marae is Nuclear Polynesian rather than Tongafiti — 

 again that Samoan voyage due south. 



In the Viti vara is the town green. Mara, therefore, shows the condi- 

 tional form of this abbreviated ra-stem. 



In Efate mala is the homotype of Viti vara, and the subduplication 

 malala is clearly a duplication of stem la under the conditional prefix. It 

 is clear, then, that malmal, duplicated mal, can have nothing to do with 

 mala, and there is nothing in the signification to require its association 

 therewith. 



In the remainder of our Melanesian material we shall have no difficulty 

 in following out the signification by metonymy, its most conspicuous area 

 standing for the town which surrounds it. The word public house in Epi 

 and Malekula is awkward as suggesting the tavern idea with its connotation 

 in the English mind of the traffic in liquors. Island hospitality maintains 

 the largest house in every hamlet for the reception of visitors, and as this is 

 always at the point of honor on the town green it might reasonably assume 

 the designation thereof. Aneityum has inmaleom, inmaliyum, inmalyum, 

 town or city. At first sight, after dissociating the article in, they look 

 like malae homogenetics. They are really composites of in-mal a collection 

 of objects and eom (265) house. 



Without supporting evidence the Malay balai (Tregear's suggestion) is 

 no more than an interesting resemblance. 



The Semitic stems in 'rh. The resemblance to the Polynesian lies only 

 with respect to the I of the simple /a-stem, and this is not enough to serve 

 as a basis for further deduction. 



316. 



malum, weak, faint, soft. Cf. malua 4. 



Samoa: main, gentle, easy, soft. Tonga: main, loose, soft, mild, 

 easy. Uvea, Nukuoro: malu, tender, soft. Hawaii: malu, 

 quiet. Futuna: malu, tender. Nuguria: mam, soft. Tahiti: 

 maru, soft, gentle, easy. Paumotu: hakamaru, to grow milder. 

 Rapanui : maruaki, to decay. 



Viti: malumu, weak, faint, sick, soft. 



Nggela, Savo, Bugotu: malumu, soft. Duke of York: malumalum, 

 to faint with hunger; galom, soft. Malekula: malum, soft, 

 meek, gentle. Laur: malmalungana, weak, feeble. Maewo, 

 Merlav, Malo, Mota: malumlwm, soft. Mota: mala, id. Vuras, 

 Santo: melumlum, id. Mosin, Norbarbar: molumlum, id. 



Pak, Sasar, Motlav: mulumlum, id. Aneityum: mulmul, id. 

 Vaturanga: maluka, id. Lo: melunglung, id. Alo Teqel: 

 mulunglung, id. Volow: melemwlemw , id. Lambell: mala, 

 weak, feeble. Tangoan Santo: nalum, soft, meek, gentle. 

 Fagani: marumurumu, soft. Lamassa: martin, calm (of the 

 wind. Mukawa: merumeruna, soft. Kubiri: m em eruna, id. 



