PEL MAFRE PASEL, the buzzard does not catch its prey

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Relations

Item Relations

This Item related through common consecutive operations (sub-procedure): Item: PEL MAFRE HO, the buzzard catches its prey

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Citation

Eric Vandendriessche and Agnès Henri , “PEL MAFRE PASEL, the buzzard does not catch its prey,” String figures, accessed February 25, 2026, https://stringfigures.huma-num.fr/items/show/102.
  • Overall presentation

  • Name : PEL MAFRE PASEL, the buzzard does not catch its prey

  • Creator : Eric Vandendriessche and Agnès Henri

  • Contributor(s) : Mata, village of Fona, Ambrym, Vanuatu
    Johnson Koran, village of Fona, Ambrym, Vanuatu

  • Date : 2016-2017


  • Information on the string figure

    • General presentation of the string figure

    The final figure represents a buzzard’s talons missing the prey. The buzzard (palyafu) is considered to be the big chief of all the birds. It is the symbol of one of the seven chiefly grades. The wings of the buzzard are carved into the roots of the natapoa tree and placed on the door lintel of the chief’s house.

    Construction method (ISFA)

    1. Opening A
    2. M seizes 1n. Release 1
    3. Distally, Insert H into M loop. H return to position. Release M.
    4. Pass 1 proximal to W loops. Proximally, insert 1 into 5 loops, hook up 5f, and return to position. Release 5.
    5. Pass 5 distal to 2 loops. Proximally, insert 5 into 1 loops, pick up 1f.
    6. Exchange 2 loops (L into R).
    7. Distally, insert L1 and L2 into R2 loop, grab 5n and 1f. Release R1, R2 and R5 loops. Insert R1 and R5 into ex.R1 loop and ex.R5 loop respectively.
    8. Repeat on LH.
    9. Caroline extension.
    10. Release 5 and extend.

    Construction method (symbolic writing)

    $\underline{O}.A:s^{*}T(1n):\overline{i}H(T\infty):TF(T\infty, w):H\#:\underrightarrow{m}1(w\infty):\underline{i}1(5\infty):\overline{h}1(5f)\#:r5:\overleftarrow{m}5(2\infty):\underline{i}5(1\infty):p5(1f):EX 2\infty [L>R]:\overline{i}L1L2(R2\infty): gL1L2(R5n, R1f):rR1,R2,R5:\underline{i}R1R5(ex.R1\infty, ex.R5\infty):repeat~LH:\underline{E}.C :r5\mid$
  • Item references

  • Key words : String figures, Ambrym Island (Vanuatu)

  • Publisher : Laboratory SPHERE (UMR 7219, University of Paris Diderot & CNRS)

  • Rights : Creative Commons / Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA

  • Format : jpeg, eaf, mp4

  • Language : English, North Ambrymese language

  • Location : Village of Fona, North Ambrym, Vanuatu, South Pacific

  • Description : Ambrymese string figure, method of construction, linguistic data, cultural aspects

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