700 



circle, all holding and beating drums, and one of them begins 

 s, chant, in which the others join. The drums are beaten, 

 not in a simple, regular rhythm, as is the case in the majority 

 of dances, but the beats are varied and include fairly complex 

 rhythmic figures. The song also is exceptionally melodious 

 and musically interesting, showing rudiments of part singing, 

 inasmuch as the initial melody is repeated by various singers, 

 whilst the others sing a monotone in unison, so giving a 

 harmonic background to the melody. Two of the dancers, 

 who face each other in the ring, raise their drums and dance 

 towards each other, in imitation of birds, as I was told. 



Damorea. — This dance, which is also an introduction 

 from the east, is perhaps the most popular dance among the 

 Southern Massim. At any rate, it was that most frequently 

 performed during the So'i feasts I witnessed on the southern 

 coast. In its strict ceremonial setting, it is danced by women 

 only, though when it is danced for entertainment only the men 

 join in the singing and drum beating. The decorations for 

 the Damorea are sometimes very various. The women wear 

 crowns of white cockatoo feathers and have the lower parts of 

 their faces painted white (see pi. xliii., fig 2). Sometimes the 

 women wear small boards made of some light, soft wood, 

 painted red, black, and white. They put on, as a rule, all 

 their most valued ornaments — the arm-shells, the strings of 

 shell discs, and other necklaces, and in their hands they hold 

 a pearl shell or a piece of pandanus mat (Elaki). In the 

 Massim district the correct thing is to hold one of the cere- 

 monial axe blades, but these are not used by the Mailu. The 

 dance is performed by two, four, or six women, who usually 

 dance in couples. The ''band," consisting of women who beat 

 the drums and sing, stand in the middle of a large circle of 

 spectators, between whom and the band the dancers move. 

 The music of the Damorea is like that of the TseJo, though 

 simpler and less interesting from the European musical point 

 of view. I was not able to ascertain the meaning of the songs 

 or of the dance, though the latter had certainly a pantomimic 

 character. The various figures were performed with slow, 

 languid movements, the women, in one, looking down upon the 

 ground as if searching for something, in another examining 

 each other's ornaments. 



Dange. — This is a dance of the inland people of the Mailu 

 district, with whom it was a war dance, and by my native 

 informants was not considered to be a Maclvna dance. I never 

 saw it performed or demonstrated. 



Kohiai. — Imported from the eastern end, and at present 

 very seldom danced. I was unable to see it performed or 

 to get any particulars concerning it. 



