697 



later. If the death occurred in the south-east moiisoon season 

 the feast would be performed in the following A vara. Some- 

 times, however, a year was allowed to elapse, as will be th© 

 case with Bu'a, the often-mentioned late village constable, 

 who died some time in August, 1914, and whose Oi'o will be 

 performed in the winter (Aurari), 1915. 



The most important ceremonial element in the mortuary- 

 feast is the dance, called McVo, which is performed by the 

 mourners. In this the main part was taken by one of the 

 nearest relatives, either male or female, the brother or the 

 sister ; sometimes it was the mother, but never the father or 

 the widow. This performer dances the Md'o holding the dead 

 man's head under the arm, and, at the conclusion of the feast, 

 the mortuary hut was also destroyed. 



After this feast the chief mourners still do not relinquish 

 their black paint, nor do they cease shaving their hair. The 

 end of their mourning coincides with some feast of the clan, 

 when, by the performance of ceremonial work, the mourners; 

 finally cast off their signs of mourning. 



CHAPTER VI. 



ART AND KNOWLEDGE. 



1. Art. 



Decorative Art. — Judged by the average Papuasian 

 standard, the artistic productions of the Mailu, like that of 

 the Western Papuo-Melanesians in general, are distinctly 

 unimportant and unoriginal, (lo^) Their decorative art is 

 limited to a few unpainted carvings, of which the designs of 

 the carved wood Biritsas are, to my knowledge, the only 

 original motives (see pi. xxxv. ; comp. also chap, iv., sec. 4). 

 The carved decorations on some of the house-posts (comp. 

 chap. 2, sec. 4) are common to all Western Papuo-Melanesians ; 

 the motive universally found in the Mailu houses — the parallel 



(104) The decorative art of the Southern Massim is definitely- 

 superior, and the Northern Massim produce really artistic 

 carvings. So, also, amongst the tribes of the Papuan Gulf their 

 artistic efforts are far superior to those of the Western Papuo- 

 Melanesians and much more interesting. Comp. Dr. A. C. Had- 

 don, ''The Decorative Art of British New Guinea." Prof. 

 Seligman says, '^'The Motu and cognate tribes . . . are the 

 poorest artists in the Possession" (op. cit., p. 37). I think this 

 statement may be extended to all Papuo-Melanesians, and the 

 Mailu are inferior to the Motu even in their tattoo. Comp. what 

 Prof. Seligman says about the Motuan tattoo on p. 38. 



