THE GREAT FEAST 231 



stantly waving their arms backward and forward they 

 moved round and round. Some relics from Apo Kayan 

 were then brought in: a small, shining gong without a 

 knob and a very large bracelet which looked as if it had 

 been made of bamboo and was about eight centimetres 

 in diameter. One of the blians placed the bracelet round 

 her folded hands and then ran round the circle as well as 

 through it; I believe this was repeated sixteen times. 

 When she had finished running they all walked in single 

 file over into the gallery in order to perform the inevitable 

 melah. 



Shortly afterward followed a unique performance of 

 throwing rice, small bundles of which, wrapped in ba- 

 nana leaves, were lying in readiness on the floor. Some 

 of the men caught them with such violence that the rice 

 was spilled all about, and then they flipped the banana 

 leaves at those who stood near. Some of the women had 

 crawled up under the roof in anticipation of what was 

 coming. After a few minutes passed thus, the eight 

 blians seated themselves in the dangei hut and prepared 

 food for antoh in the way described above, but on this 

 occasion one of them pounded paddi with two short 

 bamboo sticks, singing all the while. 



A very amusing entertainment then began, consist- 

 ing of wrestling by the young men, who were encouraged 

 by the blians to take it up and entered the game with 

 much enthusiasm, one or two pairs constantly dancing 

 round and round until one became the victor. The par- 

 ticipants of their own accord had divested themselves of 

 their holiday chavats and put on small ones for wrestling. 



