Among the natives of Kiriwina, death is the starting
point of two series of events which run almost independ-
ently of each other. Death affects the deceased individual;
his soul (baloma or balom) leaves the body and goes to an-
other world, there to lead a shadowy existence. His passing
is also a matter of concern to the bereft community. Its
members wail for him, mourn for him, and celebrate an
endless series of feasts. These festivities consist, as a rule,
in the distribution of uncooked food; while less frequently
they are actual feasts in which cooked food is eaten on the
spot. They center around the dead man's body, and are
closely connected with the duties of mourning, wailing and
sorrowing for the dead individual. But--and this is the
important point for the present description--these social
activities and ceremonies have no connection with the spirit.
They are not performed, either to send a message of love
and regret to the baloma (spirit), or to deter him from
returning; they do not influence his welfare, nor do they
affect his relation to the survivors.

It is possible, therefore, to discuss the native beliefs in

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