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After analysing the psychosomatic behaviours and the cultural rôles in the Amanab possession (J.S.O. 47, June 1975), the author compares hysterical types of behaviour (dissociation, depersonalisation) in several New Guinea societies, basing himself on anthropological and psychiatric literature. The comparison mainly concerns the degree of socialisation or ritualisation of the syndromes and shows by which methods, and according to which needs, the culture recovers (or sometimes neglects) each of the particular symptoms, thus giving them a sense, and the status of a sign. Sometimes the syndrome is completely integrated and assimilated by the society and becomes institutional, sometimes (New Guinea Highlands) it is simply "put into orbit", that is, put aside without being totally rejected.

Nemi belong to the northern group (Hienghène region) of the New Caledonian languages. The oral literature of this region is very rich and vivid. After a short phonological and syntactical presentation of Nemi, one finds in this article an illustration of the different types of texts encountered. The hîngo "tales, fables and legends", the most common sort, liven up evenings around the fire. The jama, more serious, combine myth and history. The hwadu recounts above all true stories. One also finds rhythmical eight-foot texts, counting rhymes and lullabies, of obscure meaning, very formal and even sometimes made up of words taken from different neighbouring languages. In all these texts the importance of toponymy is most striking and one can suppose that in listening to them, children learn in this way about their social geography.