On returning home the people went to their gardens, but they found no food there, again because of the inopportune visit. "Mawáta he come no good now."

Clouds of mosquitoes began to torment the people night and day all thanks to their Kíwai guests. Before there had been no mosquitoes. 8

At last Gaméa said to the Mawáta and Túritúri people, "I think more better you me (we) leave him this place. You fellow stop, I go look place. Suppose I find him good place, I sing out you people, you come."

Gaméa sailed away and came to the place where the present Mawáta is; no people lived there at that time. Three Másingára bushmen named Mártopa, Wádai, and Márkai were standing on the trunk of a tree watching the canoe as Gaméa's father steered it towards the shore. Gaméa noticed the bushmen and wanted to kill them. He tied his stone club, beheading knife, and head-carrier to one foot, so that the bushmen should not see that he was armed when he waded ashore. But Kábai said, „More better you leave that thing. You no kill him bushman, you make friend, you been come look out place." And Gaméa put his weapons back into the canoe. The bushmen came out on the beach and asked the new-comers,,, „Who you?“ „My name Gaméa, I belong Mawáta," Gaméa answered, I come look out place. He got good ground there?" "You me (we) make him friend," said he, "I go make him house here." He made a ring of a warakára branch and passed it on to the right wrist of one of the bushmen (not on the left wrist which is associated with fighting, for the bow is held in that hand when shooting), and he said, „You go place belong you, speak, 'Gaméa he been come, he make friend.' You sing out all Másingára man he come. You show him mark belong Gaméa here (the ring)."

The three bushmen went away and said to the leader of the Másingára people, whose name was Sivágu, „Gaméa he here. Mark belong him here, he make friend. You me (we) go take kaikai belong him, make house belong him." Sivágu did not answer, for he was afraid and thought to himself, "Oh, Gaméa, that big man, by and by he make fool you me (us), kill you me." Gaméa, had fought many people before and killed many men, and therefore Sivágu was afraid.

The Másingára men brought Gaméa an abundance of taro, bananas, yams, and other garden produce, some for eating, and some for planting. But Sivágu remained behind the rest, thinking to himself, By and by Gaméa kill him all Másingára man, I go shoot him." There was a large crowd of bushmen coming to see Gaméa, for he was a man of great fame. They asked him, What place you want put him house?" "Here," and Gaméa showed them a place called Móuro, a short distance inland. The Másingára men built a large house for Gaméa, completing it in three days, for a great number of men were working. They also cleared a piece of ground and planted a large garden for him. He remained at the new settlement, but his men went back to Old Mawáta to fetch the rest of the people, telling them, „I been find him new place."

At first two men named Gegéra and Kóiwáku made ready and sailed over to join Gaméa. Where people?" he asked them, and they answered, Mawáta man say, 'By and by I come'.“ "That no good," replied Gaméa, „I want him come this time (at once)."

Another day Gaméa said to Gegéra and Kóiwáku, „More better you go spear him dugong, I want give him Másingára people, make friend." The two men went and speared two dugong which they brought to Gaméa, and he called all the Másingára men to come. When a great

crowd of them had assembled Gaméa said, "That two dugong belong you fellow. Two Mawáta man been spear him, I give you fellow." The Másingára men cut up the dugong, and distributed the meat. They said, "That place belong you altogether, me fellow been kaikai two dugong from you. That ground belong you altogether right up to Másingára.“

Gaméa sent Gegéra and Kóiwáku to the remaining Mawáta people with the message, „You fellow all he come. Gaméa no want wait long time." And the Mawáta people put all their things together, laded the canoes, and prepared to quit their old home. At the thought of leaving Old Mawáta they said. „Me sorry that ground, Mawáta, no good Gaméa sing out me fellow." But Gaméa was a great man, so the people followed his directions and all of them came. Gaméa gave each man a tract of land, and they built houses there. The people held the taera ceremony, and when it was ended they went and speared many dugong and made large gardens. Gaméa said, "I stop here this place, you me (we) no go fight him people. You make him plenty garden, go spear him dugong. You me make him táera, that's all;" they did not want to hold the ceremonies which bear on fighting.

In the course of time the village became so hemmed in by the bush that the people decided to shift it nearer to the shore, and they chose the new site at a small creek called Gánalai. At first Mawáta had been a fine place, but after the great men had died everything gradually changed for the worse. The people too became much weaker and smaller in stature than their parents had been. When in former times the great men used to speak, their voice could be heard a long way off, like the sound of a drum, and they could fight, spear dugong, and make gardens incomparably better than the present generation, who are dull and devoid of strength. Earlier there were so many people that the beach hardly afforded room for all, but nowadays there are but few. So the people lament to think of the old times.

Gaméa had also summoned the Túritúri people to come and live in the new place, and after some deliberation they all came headed by their two leaders Kúki and Sabábi. Later on the Mawáta and Túritúri people again separated, and much fighting took place between the two villages (cf. n:o 339). (Gaméa, Mawáta).

A. The people of Old Mawáta were pestered by mosquitoes, and Gaméa set out to find them a new home. He travelled first as far as Sáibai and Daváne, and with his brother Wósomo and some other companions stayed some time on the latter island. But one day Wósomo and some others were drowned when they went out to spear dugong, and after his brother's death Gaméa went back to Sáibai. While he was staying there his sister, who had gone with him, was suspected of stealing some coconuts belonging to another man, and a fight took place. Much disgusted Gaméa left Sáibai and sailed eastward. Running short of food he landed at the present Mawáta. At first he intended to take his stone club with him by tying it to his foot when wading ashore, in case the bushmen should attack him, but his old father persuaded him not to do so. Gaméa made friends with one of the bushmen by putting rings of wárakára branches on the arms of the latter. On visiting the bushmen's village he took some water in his mouth and squirted it out, saying, "I put name belong this place, Ári," and after that it was called so (cf. p. 14, Karéa). Gaméa returned to Old Mawáta and persuaded the people to move over to the new place, and they arrived in groups of a few people at a time. (Amúra, Mawáta).

B. Gaméa came on shore at the present Mawáta through want of food. The episode of his landing without his stone club and his reception by the bushmen is told as in the first version. On meeting the leader of the bushmen Gaméa unfastened his bow-string and stuck the bow in the ground

in token of his friendship, and the bushmen did the same. Gaméa said, "No more fight, that's my place, that Kadáwa (Mawáta). I stop here, you bring me kaikai. I go sing out (summon) people from my place." He sent a man named Kóiváku in a canoe to find out whether there were any reefs in the sea off Mawáta, and when such were found, he finally decided to settle in the new place. Gaméa's brother Wósomo was drowned at Daváne. (ĺku, Mawáta).

C. When Gaméa first came to the present Mawáta he went to explore the country and found the large water-hole called Ébebu. This settled the choice of the new place, for a good water-hole is essential to any village. Gaméa marked out with sticks the different sites of the gardens, and let his people choose which of the plots thus marked, each wanted; Gaméa's own gardens were in the centre, at a place called Náratío. Gaméa kept watch himself in case some bushmen should come and attack the new-comers, and in the meantime the people cleared his ground for him by cutting down and burning the trees and digging ditches. (Gaméa, Mamáta).

D. Gaméa's companions each cleared the ground allotted for his garden, and the leader himself watched the place in case of a hostile attack. Those who belong to Gaméa's kin say that he distributed the different garden sites, while the others say that every man selected his land for himself. Two men named Gagári and Hérepe, when pursuing a cassowary, found the famous water-hole which is called Ébebu; without water the people could not have stayed in the new place. The two men broke small branches on both sides of their track so as to find the water-hole again; Gaméa was very pleased at their discovery. (Námai, Mawáta).

E. Gagári and Hérepe when pursuing a cassowary found the water-hole named Ébebu. (Samári, Mawáta).

20. Gaméa's brother Sabáke did not go with the others but remained at Old Mawáta. He did not want to part from the people who lived in the bush on the Óriómu river at Pogómi and Dáragóri; these tribes, however, were no „bushmen" but Mawáta people who having no canoes had therefore moved inland.

After Gaméa had been some time at New Mawáta he began to pity his brother and thought, ,,More better me go take him, no good one man (alone) he stop." So Gaméa sailed over to the old village and bade Sabáke come with him, saying, "No good one man you stop. That place I find him he all same Mawáta, I been put name Mawáta." Sabáke answered, "I no like go. I no been see place all same Mawáta, what's the good I go that place, I can't leave my good place." But Gaméa, who stayed the night there, did not cease his persuasions, „You me sleep this place," he said, "to-morrow you me go that New Mawáta I been find him," and at last Sabáke yielded.

Before dawn next day Sabáke got up, smeared his face and body with mud in token of his sorrow, and wailed, „I leave him my place for garden, I leave my good place, Old Mawáta, good place, good sand. No good I go dark corner, I been stop light place."

At last the two brothers set sail and left Old Mawáta. On their way Sabáke still wept, sitting at the stern of the canoe with his feet in the water: „I never look place all same Old Mawáta." Gaméa said, "Oh, that new place he all same Mawáta, he sand all same." But Sabáke only replied, „Oh, I think you gammon, you like me good, that's why you say that good place."

The first people who came over from Old Mawáta had not brought with them any garden produce for planting, and all the taro, bananas, and other things which are now growing at

Mawáta were introduced by Sabáke. When the two brothers landed, Gaméa said, "That my house, you me go one (to the same) house." But Sabáke, who was still cross with Gaméa, answered, "I no like you me stop one house, I go stop along miduabéra (maternal uncle)." And the two brothers parted from each other. (Amúra, Mawáta).

A. A certain man named Séga did not want to leave Old Mawáta with the others, although his brothers tried to persuade him. When left alone with his wife and children he went and lived with the bushmen at Péva not far from Old Mawáta. One day his brother who pitied him returned to urge him to come to them, and then at last Séga gave in. (ĺku, Mawáta).

II. FABULOUS MEN AND WOMEN (no. 21—61; cf. Index).

SIDO, THE FIRST MAN WHO DIED (no. 21-43; cf. Index).

1

SIDO'S BIRTH.

21. Sído's home was at Uúo. His father Sópuse worked all the time in his garden. One day he smoothed the ground, moulding it into the form of the vulva of a woman, and had intercourse with the ground every day for some time. Sído was born in the ground. The father did not know that he had begotten a child there.

One day Sído came up from the ground. Sópuse had made a small ditch in the garden, and Sído walked about close to it standing up straight, for he had grown with supernatural rapidity.? Sópuse went to the garden and looked: Who been make this track along creek? He small boy, I no got no boy." He went back to the village and taking his bow shot at the long-house, for he was very angry and said, "Who been make him track along my garden?" He did not want to hit the people but only shot at the roof of the house.

Sído slept in the ground but walked about above; when Sópuse approached, he heard the ground move and thought, „Father he come." Hiding himself in the ground he heard Sópuse shout out angrily.

One day when Sópuse went to the garden, Sído was standing under a banana tree. Sópuse, carrying his digging stick and stone axe, passed close by without noticing Sído, but the boy went after him and took him by the hand. The father cried out, „Oh, who you?" and Sído said, „Father, me here.“ „I no father, I no got no pickaninny.“ "I no father, I no got no pickaninny." "You no been make me?" "Where I been make you?" "You look hole there, that place belong me, you been make me, all time I stop inside." Sópuse did not answer, he was astounded (,,throat belong him long“). He thought, „True that boy he speak boy belong me."

Sópuse prepared a lotion of sweet-scented plants, mixing them with coconut oil in a dish made of a palm-leaf. He took the boy to a creek where he washed off all the mud which covered his body as a result of living underground, and afterwards Sído was dried in the sun. The father cut some scented leaves which he spread on the ground and making Sído sit down on them rubbed him with the contents of the dish, after which he adorned his body and hair.

Sópuse left a ripe banana close to Sído who after eating it fell down "dead", not being used to that kind of food. 13 After a while he got up again and thought, "Oh, father, no good