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ceremonial songs the men look at each other, sing with much 

 deliberation, and have the air of acting under a kind of 

 inspiration to improve the song. The tune of all those I heard, 

 as well as of the incantation in arm-shell magic that I heard 

 performed on another occasion (see sec. 2 of this chapter), is 

 identical, and, as compared with the tunes of some dancing 

 songs, is strikingly melodious. It ascends in the scale within 

 an interval approaching about a small terce or augmented 

 second, and then descends again. The whole proceedings are 

 very serious and solemn, but there is nothing esoteric about 

 them. Both women and children of the whole village look on, 

 though, prompted by their savoir faire, they keep at a distance 

 from the circle of men, squatting round the mat. But 

 although not esoteric, the ceremony is nevertheless extremely 

 serious and important in the eyes of the natives, and not to 

 be in any way lightly treated. As it was performed late in the 

 afternoon I was unable to take any snapshots. I offered the. 

 natives exorbitant prices (six sticks of tobacco to each of the 

 chief actors and three to all the others) if they would 

 rehearse the performance next morning. I tried also to exert 

 a certain pressure through the village constable, but all in 

 vain. The natives did not want to profane the ceremony and 

 risk the evil results of trifling with a magical performance. 



After this there begins the fasting and general taboo on 

 the part of those who are going to play any role in the subse- 

 quent dance and feast. As mentioned above, the general 

 taboo — i.e., abstention from boiled food, fish, and fresh water, 

 as well as the drinking of salt water from time to time — is 

 observed by both men and women ; that is to say, by all the 

 men who will dance and assist the master at the feast, and 

 by all the women who will play a certain ceremonial part 

 (such as that played in the dancing to receive the men during 

 the Kandre), and by those who will dance the Damorea. A 

 specially strict taboo, called Udini, which is also connected 

 with the feast magic, is undergone by the master of the feast 

 and a few of his nearest assistants. Thus at the Macluna in 

 Kiirere, the Udini was undergone by the two masters of the 

 clans which danced the Govi (the third clan, as mentioned 

 before, danced the Bdra); also by two men called Bora' a eva 

 mini, which means givers of pigs. These men carried the 

 two mango saplings and cut them up at the Oiloho. At the 

 main feast they will help in carrying out the distribution of 

 pigs. All these men are called Udini men (Udini egi). 

 These, besides observing the above-mentioned food taboos — 

 and that certainly much more strictly than the other fasters — 

 blacken their bodies all over ; they have to practice complete 

 sexual abstention, and they sleep in a special place, called 

 w2 



