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The Mailu, when speaking of their dances and songs,, 

 distinguish between the Maduna dances and the Bara dances, 

 although, as mentioned, the Bdra may be also performed at 

 the Maduna. All the former, which comprise the Govi, Raua^ 

 Tselo, Damorea, come from the east. Bdi'a is the collective 

 name given to a g^roup of dances of a similar character, and 

 introduced from the west (comp. chap, v., sec. 3, where the 

 difference in the preparatory ritual of the various dances has 

 been stated). 



Govi. — As mentioned above (chap, v., sec. 3), this is the 

 most important and most sacred of the Maduna dances, which 

 must always be performed at a really big and important feast. 

 I never saw it, and I am consequently unable to describe even 

 its general character, but from native descriptions and demon- 

 strations of the steps I may give the following particulars. It 

 is always performed on a platform, at the middle of which 

 stand the men with drums, who beat the time and sing the 

 song. The dancers perform their dance on the four raised 

 beams, laid on the four sides of the square platform. The 

 dance consists of steps of a somewhat acrobatic character, the 

 performer assuming a squatting position and then springing 

 up, and in Mailu I was told that the movements are in imita- 

 tion of the hopping of the kangaroo. In the Southern Massim 

 district, however, I was informed that the dance represents 

 the bird of paradise, and this view seems to be borne out by 

 the fact that the dancers of the Govi wear wigs of the feathers 

 of these birds. As the home of the Govi is neither Mailu nor 

 the Southern Massim coast, but the mountain tribes inland of 

 Orangerie Bay (eastern half) and of Mullins Harbour, it is 

 only the study of the latter that would enable one to grasp- 

 the real significance of the Govi. 



Raua. — In this dance, which comes from the same inland 

 people as the preceding, the dog is said to be mimicked. I 

 once saw it performed ceremonially at the So'i in Tsilotsilo. 

 Men wearing large crown-shaped feather ornaments on their 

 heads, three or four of whom acted as chief performers, 

 advanced slowly in a large procession. One of the four, who 

 was said to personate the dog, ran hither and thither with 

 short steps among the other dancers. The beat of the drums 

 was slow and regular, and the accompanying chant very mono- 

 tonous and unmelodious. 



Tselo. — This is derived from the east, though the Mailu 

 natives were unable to give me the exact locality of origin, 

 nor could I ascertain this on my visit to the east. I saw this 

 dance performed several times in Mailu, but never ceremonially 

 — that is, with full decorations and scrupulous adherence to 

 all the details of strict performance. The dancers stand in a 



