The Mafulu eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 349 pages of information about The Mafulu.

The Mafulu eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 349 pages of information about The Mafulu.

    1.  Voitele Belonging to a clan whose chief, Jaria, lives
                    at Amalala, where the clan emone is.
    2.  Amalala
    3.  Kodo-Malabe
    4.  Motaligo
    5.  Malala Belonging to a clan whose chief, Gito-iola, lived
                    at Malala, where the clan emone is. (He has
                    recently retired in favour of his eldest son,
                    Anum’ Iva, who is the present chief, and also lives
                    there.)
    6.  Gelva
    7.  Seluku Being the only village of a clan whose chief, Baiva,
                    has recently died.  His eldest son, who has succeeded
                    him, is an infant.  There is no regency.

Also near the Mission station is a community called Alo, which includes four villages occupied by two clans, as follows:—­

    1.  Asida Belonging to a clan whose chief, Amo-Kau, lives
                    at Asida, where the emone is.
    2.  Kotsi
    3.  Ingomaunda
    4.  Uvande Being the only village of a clan whose chief
                    is Iu-Baibe.

Referring to these villages, in the year 1899 the clan now occupying the four villages Voitele, Amalala, Kodo-Malabe and Motaligo had only a single village, Kaidiabe, the clan’s chief being the above-mentioned Jaria.  Then there was a Government punitive expedition, following the attack of the natives upon Monseigneur de Boismenu (the present Bishop of the Mission of the Sacred Heart in British New Guinea) and his friends, who were making their first exploration of the district, in which expedition a number of natives, including the brother of the chief, were killed.  After that the village was abandoned, and the three villages of Voitele, Amalala and Motaligo arose in its place.  Subsequently after a big feast, which was held at Amalala in the year 1909, that village put out an offshoot, which is the present village of Kodo-Malabe.  Also in the year 1909 the village of Uvande was represented by seven villages, all belonging to one clan under the chieftainship of Iu-Baibe, the names of which were Ipolo, Olona, Isisibei, Valamenga, Amada, Angasabe and Amambu; but after the feast above mentioned the people of that clan all abandoned their villages, and joined together in forming the present village of Uvande.

The chief, that is the true chief, of a clan has his house in one of the villages of the clan, and if, as sometimes occurs, he has houses in two or more of these villages, there is one village in which is what is regarded as his usual residence, and this is the village in which is the emone of the clan.

As regards the relative predominance of the various clans of a community and their respective chiefs in matters affecting the whole community (e.g., the arranging and holding of a big feast), there is no rule or system.  The predominance will probably, unless there be a great disparity in the actual size or importance of the clans, and perhaps even to a certain extent notwithstanding such a disparity, fall to the clan whose chief by his superior ability or courage or force of character, or perhaps capacity for palavering, has succeeded in securing for himself a predominating influence in the community.

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The Mafulu from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.