THE DREAD IMUNU.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17645, 23 December 1922, Page 15

THE DREAD IMUNU.

~—♦. ■ /. ■ ' VtWLOUS PHOTOGRAPHY. IN NEW GUINEA. ■ •" ii-.. ' u,y: :■■■■' slw, ■■ > ■■ ■ ■ stood on. the threshold of a gioat EwLthat extended like a vast cavern to. I gloom, Tvyitcs Captain Frank le South Seas explorer, in a. lclo published in the Sydney ■ On the floor some forty or ng forms snored their after- . - From roof aid- wails bus-. amazing collection of f aniaam various stages of construcbub behind us awakened the 'hCf, reviewed us • with: "resents L a' tew sticks of trade tooedthem to cheerfulness. A i .repulsive old gentleman, iratea with dogs' teeth &r.a ho chief, assinued himself , u s aroundj which he did; with itation and jabber. A crowd lowed us through the Ravi, the-name of these great Pubises, .sullenly looking on as hd examined everything, feet wo waJked along an i, the .heavy constructional; fclwr side. These poled, as well ting the roof, mKJtJ'i t iio iivaraor cubicles which connbers of remarkably carved obably, representing ancestral aneath these ''Kwoi' 1 plaques of crocodile, pigs, and oocaan skulls, doubtless heirlooms es. "We then caaie to:a parbarred further progress. At vara before this barrier, the alted and only the chief and it®, men proceeded'. K through a narrow opening inded for the moment Hy tHe but obviously we had scares &ers of bats and vermin. As snetrated the gloom v© mu'de e.were in an apartm.nt soire length by 15 feet in width; id tapered from the entrance, w only 10 feet high. Grouped ether were seventeen wild iffigies, the sacred and. dread hese grotesque objects were ' of _ caricatures of alligators eartily. They stood on four ssowary design, and has an i the bellj' so that a man id erect therein and carry t. Beneath each was placed sealed-up package, which ixceedingly curious, ch was very anxious to pro-1 of those packages for the ®d I had made up my mind photographic records of this I costs. On emerging from *r of horrors, the old chief f .-demanded Ku-ku (tobacco) jted that unless we gave and Uie; wrath of the Imunu a amity of sickness would bel wo gave. Attractive overinrchase and for permission. ra ph availed us not, so • I ny native coxswain Vetaki of and that wily rascal formum. The old men are an as>f. impostors and hypocrites,, Pocu that the motive of the to .terrorise the young men, n " -children so that tliey forked to gratify the desires |a drones, in order that the foodstuffs might be theirs. ti waylaid the old men of the' it was-suggested a package ®ppear in the night if a •:took its place. This was -it s° happened that the * 'he mystic package helongaty various people; and, on. brink of achievement, the jniod of .the dark deed, and

the package was resc,ued 3 and after much altercation was returnee? to tiie Ravi. . After much watching and waiting an opportunity arrived at last. Death called the villagers to a house of mourning to cry their grief » so we found the Ravi deserted and unguarded. Without hesitation we'made our way to the Holy. I of Holies , and demolished and re-erected the barriers' so that i might have room to. operate: Numerous flashlights, which dearly set fire to the Ravi, enabled, several exposures to be made.. We even went so far as to desecrate the sanctity hy removing the Imunu and arranging them to our satisfaction and advantage. ; v ' McCfilloch, ■ with tfembling fingers, opuned one! of the. mysterious packages and found'it to contain twenty bullroarers of diverse shapes and sizes. ,These wel-e thin' tapering .pieces • of wood varying ■ from' eight to sixteen inches, in length, and with a small loop at .one end to attach a cord. When whirled around the' head a gruff sound is produced, varying in pitch according to . the size, of the bullroarer. This bloodrcurdlinir noise is the voice of the Imnnu,.. which strikes - consternation and, terror throughout the village: ' Scarcely had we finished when the savages began to file into the Ravi, but so' far. we were.unseen. • .When all were seated' and'd jowsy, I" 'arranged a diversion so that we might escape unnoticed. - I :gave vto' : McCulloch a' packet of crackers,, and he quietly left our hiding' arid' mingled with the natives, gaining at once their attention and-, approbation by distributing a few sticks of "Trade." A yell from the sahctum ' (mine) caused 'the - necessary, diversion to allow McCulloch to! light the , crackers unseen. .The . ruse wis successful beyond hopes. Bang-bung, helter-skelter, shouts and shrieks and a confused grabble rushed the entrance and made a terrified exit. / ' ■ During the hubbub, Veiaki and I hurriedly replaced the barrier, and by the . time the natives had composed themselves and returned we were seated complacently on our' belongings, breaking up small presents of Ku-Ivu. We again made overtures to purchase one or the bundles. 1 Some were for, but the majority were unwilling. However, as; my' friend McCulloloch says, "No hide, no Christmas box," we prevailed by a great display of threats and .bluff. The outcome was that we might extract one bullroarer from each packet in return for 20' sticks of tobacco and a present of rice. With the chief keeper of the Imuuu, McCulloch entered the sanctum and began making his selection. No one ventured near the barrier. Nor would the high priest touch any of the packages. In the darkness McCulloch's job was unenviable, for as he opened each packet spiders, lizards, scorpions, and centipedes crawled out. The impatience of the waiters was relieved by occasional *Ku-Ku gifts. At last the selection was made and wrapped up in palm leaf. None would venture near, nor would they allow the parcel to leave the liavi'until, it was rolled in numerous sleeping mats and McCulloch's singlet wound round the outside. As we passed along the Styx not a soul was to bo seen in the village, for should any but tlie initiated old men gaze upon these ■] things they would either die or else become 'violently ill. We were only saved from being stricken by the generous present of rice which* we made to the old men of the Bavi.