292 CUSTOMS OF THE KAR NICOBARESE 



ings. They take their supper in Elpanam, and dance there all 

 night. 



At this point, the climax of the whole is reached in Anula 

 Kopdh, or Ula Kopdh (digging the graves). The women, children, 

 and others stand at a distance from the graveyard, and one or 

 two of the adults belonging to each of the houses commemor- 

 ating, open the respective graves, remove the bones, and throw 

 them in an adjoining bush called Tarn n'gi Kopdh * — burial-place 

 of bones (ossuary). But they replace in the graves the skulls of 

 respected people or heads of families, and after refilling the holes 

 with earth, place over them the new kiiiniitila or kare-yeng-choit 

 (headstones). Before the skulls are replaced, however, they are 

 sprinkled with the blood of fowls and }'oung pigs. 



The men who break open the graves are termed takhiwi 

 (polluted) and when all is over they bathe in the sea, and then 

 spend the night in the " house of pollution," after a period of 

 feasting and dance in the Elpanam^ called Kiriani Aniila (dig- 

 ging dance). 



Two or three days later the coco-palm leaves are removed 

 from the houses at Elpanam, and another performance is held 

 called Kiriaiii-nga-rit-roi-ta-oka (dance for clearing up coconut 

 rubbish). Next morning sports and a little wrestling take 

 place. 



Finally, the people invite some of the viafais of adjacent 

 villages to give a performance, and entertain them with gifts 

 and feasting. This ceremony is called Afai tapoia, or Mafai 

 tapira — grand viafai dance. When it is concluded some other 

 village is challenged to a canoe race, and a dance and feast 

 follow. With this ends the festival of Kana Awn. 



When everything is over they carefully gather together the 

 jawbones of the pigs that have been killed in every house, 

 fasten them to a long rattan, and hang them up in the public 

 building at Elpa?iam. In this way a comparison is made between 

 past and present wealth, and proof is afforded of the splendour of 



* Called also Kofentc—'^\AC& of pollution. The natives have a horror of 

 this spot, which nothing will induce them to visit at night. 



