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Chapter Three. Phases of Life |
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On the morning after Chinyak's death the members of his own age group gathered outside the village and, assisted by their traditional partners, the girls of the Balang and Ang-ban, erected a monument consisting of a bamboo structure and a crudely carved human figure. The girls made two head coverings of fresh leaves, one of which was placed on the wooden figure; the other was taken to the house of mourning to be put on the head of the deceased. When the monument was completed the girls returned in single file to the village, scattering large green leaves as they went. This last act of friendship was always performed by girls who were the potential mates of the departed, but was omitted at funerals of older men. |
