677 



magic will secure plenty of pigs, and hence a brilliant feast, 

 but they do not try to imagine how the magic is acting. 



The Main Feast . — As already stated, I have witnessed the 

 main feast in the Mailu district, though my ideas were greatly 

 helped by the observation of the big feasts in the Bonahona 

 district. I am also convinced from what I saw and heard that 

 the main magico-reiigious elements are contained in the events 

 above described — that is, in the preliminary feasts, prepara- 

 tions, and taboos. There is obviously less belief embodied in 

 the practices of the feast itself. ^^'^) The Soi feasts which I saw, 

 and which were undoubtedly identical with the Madiina in 

 the inain outlines, had much less of the character of a silent 

 and concentrated feast than the Oiloho which I saw in Kurere. 



As mentioned in a previous paragraph (chap, iv., sec. 4), 

 the natives of Mailu Island, in anticipation of the final feast, 

 go on expeditions to Aroi/ia in order to bring back pigs, and 

 shortly after their return the feast takes place. The last days 

 are spent in collecting as many vegetables, coconuts and other 

 fruits as possible. Word has previously been sent round fixing 

 approximately the date of the Maduna, and great numbers of 

 natives arrive from various villages. Those living at the 

 greatest distances — even in olden days people used to come 

 from as far as Bonabona and the Massim villages beyond — 

 usually arrive the earliest, as they want to make sure that 

 they will not miss the feast. For those at hand this margin 

 is not necessary. In the Massim district I witnessed both the 

 •arrival of a large number of native canoes for a feast and the 

 departure of some, and both events were picturesque and 

 impressive. When the natives leave their village for a feasl 

 they blow the conch shell and shout loudly to announce the 

 event. The pig, suspended from a pole by its bound feet, is 

 carried in a procession and put on board the canoe. 



When the feast is imminent the canoes assemble, the 

 v/hole horizon being dotted with crab-claw sails, with the oval 

 sails of the east, and with small dug-outs propelled by paddles 

 or small mast sails. The long-drawn, penetrating wail of the 

 ■conch shell reverberates over the water, and is periodically 

 interspersed with the wild scream, thrice repeated, with which 

 the natives wind up the music of the shell. The voices from 



(94) These remarks are, of course, only statements of fact. 

 How far the feast is to be regarded as a mere social revelry, as a 

 magical ceremony, or else as a religious ceremony, is a theoretical 

 question, which it is not necessary to discuss in this place. I 

 need scarcely add that in this question, as in many others, I have 

 tried to be as unbiassed as is possible for an ethnologist, though, 

 ■of course, having theoretical problems constantly in mind I tried 

 to read in every fact an answer to a general query, which does 

 not necessarilj' mean "the confirmation of a preconceived idea." 



