Hameiyau
Kwoma · numen · Kwoma traditional religion; continuing · numen
Hameiyau is one of the two named women in whom the female spirit of the Nokwi ceremony is made manifest, the other being Sanggriayau. During the rite the two figures were carried into the ceremonial house while the men cried out that Hameiyau and Sanggriayau were escaping and must be caught; the women of the village fled from them in fear. The masked performers, the nogwidgi, then ranged through the settlement smashing clay pots, destruction afterwards attributed to the two female spirits themselves. The two are said to belong to their respective clans rather than being described as sisters.
Domains
- female fertility
Powers
- flees through the village and is ritually pursued
- shatters the clay pots of the villagers
Relations
- companion: Sanggriayau
- companion: Nokwi