Page:The Melanesians Studies in their Anthropology and Folklore.djvu/137

VI.] child is too young to be admitted for whom the father, or more properly the mother's brother, provides the entrance payments and presents of pigs and mats. Here, too, though in principle the mother's kin should take charge of the boy's advancement, the father in practice generally makes it his own business. The sixth step, moli, is the first that is important; the youth takes the great loli, ma loli gaivua, and assumes a name with the prefix Moli. There are three steps of moli. The ninth rank is udu, the tenth nggarae, the eleventh livusi, the last vira. The patron, or father, of the new moli gives him when he attains that rank some of that white and beautiful shell-money, which, however, is not used as money, but is much valued for ornament. This is worth many pigs, and is worn on the arm or wrist in the string, or woven into an armlet. These family jewels remain as heirlooms, and are made up afresh for the successive wearers. Internal discipline is severe; one who should intrude into the division of the gamal above his own would be clubbed or shot. To rise to the higher moli and the steps beyond is the ambition of every young man, and his friends are bound to help him; for this sacrifices are made, and mana sought from Tagar. For gaining new steps in rank many pigs are wanted, many mats, abundant supplies of food; such things come to the man supernaturally, he must have mana. The Vira is seldom reached; the man of that rank, like Viradoro now, is in fact the chief; he has great mana and the favour of Tagar, or he could not have risen to be what he is; his authority is paramount in the Loli, for none can rise without his consent, and every one is a member of the society and hopes to rise; he has been fortunate in war, or he would not have survived; he comes of a family of rich and leading men who bought his first steps when he was a child, and by whose wealth he has bought the higher; he is the great man, the Ratahigi. 12