708 THE " MARAVOT," 



or later cease to exist. I may therefore esteem myself fortunate in having witnessed 

 this rare scene under conditions which enhanced its ethnological value and human interest. 



It has been fancifull}' suggested by various authors of books of travel that the 

 Papuans and other races similarly situated are relict types of the Stone Age, since in 

 their ignorance of iron and metals generally, they are dependent upon stones and 

 organic productions (shell, bone, wood, fibre, leaves) for theii- martial and industrial 

 implements. It is therefore impossible to avoid a feeling of regret when we reflect 

 upon the sure approach of the relentless wave of destruction which will engulf all 

 these neolithic rites. 



The accessory incidents of the " maravot," the mise-eii-scene and appurtenances, if 

 described in too great detail would appear sordid, perhaps even repulsive. But if it 

 be regarded sympathetically as a manifestation of racial sentiment, its importance 

 becomes at once evident, and one who has recently received his baptism of '' pepe " 

 should be able to approach the "maravot" in the proper spirit'. 



At the place of meeting, on the occasion of our visit, there was a lar'ge oblong 

 enclosure fenced in by tall, opaque screens of plaited palm-leaves so as to exclude the 

 gaze of the women to whom it is " tambu." Nevertheless, at a little distance from 

 the enclosure there was a " monstrous regiment of women " bringing large bundles of 

 food, called " magit," wrapped up in banana leaves. Beyond a few armlets and necklaces 

 of C«sc«s-teeth (which are worn alike by both sexes) the women had not decked 

 themselves out, and they presented a rather monotonous sea of faces, as they sat on 

 the ground smoking, chatting and chemng, while their male relatives attended to the 

 more serious duty of dancing in the sanctuary. 



The men (with the exception of the great chief To-ragat, who came quite plain) 

 had decorated their persons with all the ornaments which the country yields, theii" 

 toilette being completed by a head-ch-ess consisting of a tuft of white tail-feathers of 

 the domestic fowl. Many of them had painted the body, face and hair with red, white 

 and black native pigments, and some were actually green with smeared lichen. The 

 wealthier individuals wore precious collars of Ciiscus-teeth, nose-pieces and chaplets. 



At one end of the enclosure there were some remarkable mural paintings repre- 

 senting figures of reptiles with human heads, forming an appropriate mounting for the 

 piece ; at the opposite end, faced by the natives while dancing, there was an exhibition 

 of coils of diwara belonging to various chiefs, this in itself being a sufficient proof of 

 the solemnity and sincerity of the occasion. 



When advancing to take their places in serried ranks within the sacred precincts, 

 where they presented the appearance, viewed from an elevation, of a bed of white 

 feathers, the men formed processions in single file, chanting as they walked and carr^dng 

 coloured leaves and carved devices. One very large figure representing a departed chief, 



' In the dictionary of the New Britain dialect by the Bev. E. H. Rickards, to which I have already 

 made reference, the "maravot" is defined as the ceremony and dancing initiatory to the " igiat " (pronounced 

 "ingiat"), which is, as far as I coidd gather, a secret fiaternitv which most of the men join iu order to 

 settle their accounts in this world and the next to the best advantage. I think it might be possible to 

 compile a connected account of the native economy of this part of New Britain based upon the " igiat," 

 elucidating all the ceremonies and periods wliich precede membership and all the privileges and powers 

 which ensue. 



