236 ON THE " ONVAR " OF MALEKULA, NEW HEBRIDES, 



mens, it consists of a spiral bandage made from a creeper, and 

 like that of the Fly River it extends from the wrist almost to the 

 elbow. 



The guard used on Efate, New Hebrides, is very simple. It 

 consists merely of a plain ring cut from a hard wood and rounded 

 on the outside. 



The "onvar" or thumb-guard of Malekula, though itself simple 

 enough, is a slight improvement on this form. It was first 

 mentioned by Cook*' and described by Forsterf in his account of 

 the voyage. " On the left wrist they wore a circular wooden 

 plate neatly covered and joined with straw about five inches in 

 diameter, upon which they broke the violence of the recoiling 

 bowstring and prevented it from hurting their arms." 



Forster here describes one of the highest class "onvars." 

 Sometimes they are in two pieces and are fastened by long 

 lengths of the thin inner bark of a vine neatly worked over all 

 round. Again, they are frequently in one piece over the outside 

 surface of which the bark is plaited. It is probable that these 

 decorated guards are insignia of chiefs, as are occasionally the 

 spiral bands in the Solomon Group. | However, the general form 



is a circular piece of hard though light wood about 3 cm. in 

 thickness, 12 cm. outside diameter at the base, bevelled off to an 

 outside diameter of 7 cm. at the top and pierced by a hole large 

 enough to admit the hand of the wearer. The average diameter 



* Cook's " Voyages," Vol. v., p. 35. 



+ G. Forster, "Voyage round the World," Vol. ii., p. 215. 



X Ratzel, I.e., p. 227- 



