BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO COLLECTION 39 
ceremony, known as the “init” dance, is. always performed by men, 
who go through certain rites to the accompaniment of barbarous songs, 
the shrill notes of the Pan-pipes and the dinof shell trumpets and drums. 
Women are prohibited under penalty of death from witnessing this 
ceremony. 
Five malagans from a ghost house are shown on page 40. ‘The 
central one is nine feet four inches high and presents the appearance of 
being composed of many figures and slat-like pieces joined together. 
In reality, however, it has been carved from a single log, and the same is 
true of the others. ‘The human figure, animals, birds and fish, all much 
distorted or conventionalized, form the motives of the carvings. ‘The 
colors used in decorating these malagans are white, red and black. If 
the present natives attach any particular attribute to each of these idols, 
it has not been ascertained, and the probability is that their criginal 
significance has been lost. 
Several characteristic objects of this region is shown in the illustration 
on page 41. At the left is a wooden dance-drum (No. 1) carved from 
a log of palm wood. ‘The handle is considerably above the center, hence 
the drum, when grasped by the left hand, hangs at such an angle as to 
bring the head in convenient position to be reached by the nght hand. 
The head is of snake skin, and is usually beaten with the fingers, but 
sometimes with a small stick. ‘The lower end shows a form of decora- 
tion common to most of the islands of the South Seas. ‘The depressions 
of the carved designs are filled with lime. The white color of the lime 
contrasts strongly with the dark color of most palm wood. Nos. 2, 5 
and 5 are shark hooks. The shanks are of wood, and the curved points 
are made from the shell of the Tridacna and other large mollusks. No. 
4 is an ax-like implement with a blade made from a large shell. ‘l'wo 
pieces of wood, hollowed out to receive the upper end of the shell blade 
are bound together and to the handle by a thong made from some creep- 
ing plant. ‘These shell blades are much harder and more serviceable 
than is generally supposed, and answer well for many purposes, especially 
in making canoes, the wood being first charred with fire and then hacked 
out with such an ax or chisel. 
An ancient death-drum, or ‘“‘nunut”’ is shown by No. 6. ‘This rare 
specimen, which is the most highly prized piece in the collection, is 
carved from a log of some hard, dark wood, probably a species of palm. 
Each of the three tongues gives out a note of a different pitch from the 
