(the bird which had made" the taro), take some in his mouth, and blow it over his garden from the windward side, or else he could sprinkle it with his hand. When digging up taro he should cut off the tops and plant them again after rubbing them with the ,,medicine“.

On awakening in the morning the man carefully followed the instructions given him in the dream. He planted a large garden, and all the taro in the country comes from his place. His medicine" is still used by the bushmen when planting taro. If more than one kind of vegetable be planted in the same garden it is not necessary to give each of them its special ,,medicine", for all plants benefit by the medicine" applied to one of them. (Námai, Mawáta).

THE FIRST KOKEA (A kind of taro?).

267. Long ago, while the Mawáta people still lived at Old Mawáta, they and the Kíwai, Paráma, and Kuníni people once came and attacked the Wáre or Wáreámu people who lived at Djímete. Many Wáre people were killed and their bodies thrown on to the rubbish heap close to the village, and the survivors ran away and settled down at Sípiepúpu. The dead bodies on the rubbish heap decayed, and from each of them a kokea grew up.

Once Púde, one of the leaders of Sípiepúpu village, came to the place where the people had lived before. Walking about there he thought, I been see one man fall down this place, what name (what is) that thing he come up?" He found a kokéa growing in every place where he had seen a dead body before, a red kokéa for a woman and a white one for a man. On his return home he did not tell the people what he had seen, for like all bushmen he thought, "That thing I no been see before, by and by I dream something."

And he was right, for one night the spirits of the people slain in the fight came to him in a dream, and each of them had the root and leaves of a kokéa in place of his head which had been cut off. Standing round Púde's bed they bent their mock heads forward until the gash in the neck was seen, and fire spurted out there as it does with an útumu (spirit of a beheaded, cf. no. 134). The apparitions did not say anything and after a while went away.

In the morning Púde got up and thought, „Oh, good thing I been see, all them fellow been come, something stand up along head. What's the matter they no been talk nothing? More better I go back same place." He thought that the spirits did not speak to him because he had omitted to do something. So he returned to the place, and this time he touched the root and leaves of each kokea, and that was what he had omitted to do on the first occasion.

The next night the spirits again put in an appearance. They caught hold of Púde, threw him to and fro, and finally hurled him out through the door, continuing to toss him about outside. All the other people were fast asleep. Just before daylight the spirits gave Púde a small piece of human flesh which he swallowed. They said, "Me fellow kokéa, from body me fellow come up. Along old place me stop. You make fence, you plant him me fellow inside fence. First one kokea you plant him you chew him root belong me fellow and leaf belong bibiri (a tree), spit him along me fellow, you roll him up that kokéa along leaf, put him along ground. Next kokea you plant him anyway."

When Púde woke up in the morning he said to his people, "To-morrow you me (we) make him big dance." The people donned all their ornaments, and Púde decorated himself with

kokea-leaves. The people stared at the strange adornment, but in accordance with custom none of them said anything, they only wondered, „My God, what name (what is) that thing? Good thing that, I think étengena (cf. Introduction to no. 102) been learn (teach) him that thing." At dawn when the dance ended, Púde went and planted one kokea, strictly following the instructions which he had received. When this was done, all the other kokia of their own accord pulled themselves up from the place where they were growing and went and planted themselves within the same fence.

full up

When Púde came back to his garden, he was surprised to find so many kokea there. „Oh, bushes (leaves) now," he called out, what name (how) he been come inside?" But he

did not tell the people anything.

It was only when the kokea were full-grown that he told his wife to come with him to the garden. They began to dig up the roots, and the woman exclaimed, „My God, good kaikai!" Púde said, "Big one you put him along basket belong cook him, small one belong plant him." On their return home the woman baked some kokea in the earth-oven and asked the people to come and eat. Everybody ate, and one after another exclaimed, „Uéi! good thing that! He soft altogether, no fast along teeth. Taro, that's no good, fast along mouth, this thing he sweet!" Each of the men gave Púde some present, a pig, a bundle of arrows, an iguana-skin, or some kind of game, and all of them wanted some kokéa for planting, and Púde distributed two, three, or even four to each of them. But he did not teach the people how to take care of the kokea, so when the roots were full-grown, they consumed them all, and being again empty-handed had to ask him for more.

Nowadays the people know better. When they start pulling up the kokéa, the „master“ of the garden goes there first alone, digs up one of the roots with a simple bibiri stick (see above), not an ordinary digging stick, chews a small piece of the kokea together with a certain other plant. Some of this medicine" he swallows and the rest he spits at the kokea. Then he throws the kokea and the bibiri stick behind him, and the root is left to decay in the garden. This causes such an abundant crop that the people cannot consume it all. (Námai, Mawata).

THE FIRST BANANA.

168. A man named Gimodóburo lived alone in Díbiri. He had no wife, and one day he thought to himself, „No good I one man (alone) I stop, hard work, fill him up water, carry him firewood, roast him kaikai self. Suppose I find him man he got two wife, he give me one, he all right. Woman, he good thing, he cook kaikai."

Underneath a small heap of earth there lived a certain female being in the shape of a crayfish. One day when Gimodóburo was returning from his work, he happened to tread on the tail of the crayfish which turned over under his foot and lay on its back. ,,What name (what is) that he red like that?" Gimodóburo thought, „He got altogether leg, he got two hand, two big hand, tail he got long, behind he got red thing he come out along tail. I never see thing like that, just now I put him foot on top." And he went home, cooked his evening meal, and ate it. In the night the spirit of the crayfish came to him and said, "What name (why) you all

A crayfish.

Drawn

time sing out for woman? That me there you (your) wife. No matter I got long tail, no matter two long hand, altogether leg. I woman, where that red, that áe (vulva)."

Gimodóburo woke up in the morning and felt very pleased at his dream. He went and caught the crayfish, and to prevent its escape while he was working he tied it up with a string. A hot sun was scorching the crayfish all day, and in the evening it was dead. The man returned from his work and picked it up and shook it saying, "Umarúo (crayfish), you sleep too much! Oh, poor fellow he dead! Fault belong me no leave him along cold place, that sun he burn." Then he buried the crayfish (in the ground) at the root of a large kurúmi-tree. And he wailed,

Gimodóburo, Gimodóburo Sóidoburo Sóidoburo Sosidóburo. - My woman he die now, I cry." The right name of the crayfish was Sóido, and Sosidóburo is coined from idóbi which means weep".

When he had finished his lament, he did not think any more about the crayfish

by Námai of Mawáta. and went on with his work as before.

After a time the stem of a banana tree sprouted from the dead crayfish. One night Ginodóburo was visited by the spirit of the crayfish which said to him, „Gimodóburo, what name (why) you cry one time for me, no more come look my burying ground? You go see what thing he come out. When kaikai come out, hang down, you rub him along that red thing belong my tail. That time you plant him you put him that red thing underneath. You make that same cry, Gimodoburo, Gimodóburo Soidoburo Sóidoburo, Sosidóburo."

وو

"My God, good dream," Gimodóburo thought on awakening in the morning. He went to the place where he had buried the crayfish and saw there a banana tree, and when he came near, the leaves began to flutter (,he glad inside, father he come"). Gimodóburo thought, No got no wind, him he shake himself. My God, good thing he come out from that umarúo!"

Different kinds of banana tree sprouted from the root of the first tree. A bunch of fruit began to form in the tree, and Gimodóburo rolled it up in leaves and cut off the bud at the end, rubbing the wound with the tail of the crayfish as he had been told. When the fruit ripened it fell, and new trees sprang up from it.

Gimodóburo had refrained from eating the first ripe bananas, but when the next bunches ripened, he began eating them. He planted many trees, and made new gardens, and from him the cultivation of bananas has spread to other people as well. Instead of rubbing the young plants with the vulva of a female crayfish the people nowadays use medicine" from the vulvae of their wives. They also put a small piece of a crayfish and a kurúmi-root underneath the first banana planted in a new garden, and when the young tree stands erect, they shake it a little and sing the song which they have learnt from Gimodóburo. The whole garden benefits from the ,, medicine" applied to the first tree. These observances are still kept up. When the new trees have been planted, the men will wander round the garden singing the same song again (,,that sing (song) go all over garden, make him grow"). The people do not eat the first ripe bunch of fruit in a new banana garden, and when the fruit has fallen, it is thrown all over the garden and left to decay. (Námai, Mawáta).

A. Very like the previous version. Gimodo (as he is called here) found the female crayfish which he called Sikáru or Sikarúburo and married her, for he was a story-man". Sikáru died in the sun, and he buried her at the root of a bunio- or kurúmi-tree and wailed as in the first version. A banana tree grew up from the crayfish, and Gimodo was visited by it in a dream and taught the observances to be followed when planting bananas, which are the same as in the first version. (Gaméa, Mawáta).

B. Gimodóburo, & Búdji man, married a woman called Skarúburo who was also a crayfish (Mawáta, umarúo; Kíwai, skáru or sikáru). She died in the sun and was buried, and some banana trees grew up from her body. Gimodóburo wailed, „Skarúburo Skarúburo Gimodóburo Gimodóburo.“ (Tom, Mawáta).

THE ORIGIN OF GAMODA (no. 269-271; cf. p. 14 and Index).

269. A male kangaroo at Kúru once cleared a spot of ground by eating off all the grass there. Playing about, the animal caused its semen to run out on the ground, where it became a gámoda-plant which struck root and began to grow. The first kind of gámoda which grew there is called wésapia, it was the first garden plant in the world, taro, yam, and all the others being much later. One day the kangaroo came back to the place, and seeing the gámoda thought, "Oh, that my thing, my blood been go along ground, make him that thing come up." The kangaroo said to the gámoda, „I plant you for people, make good thing along people. That time people been plant him garden finish, he go home, he make gámoda, one big man take him leaf belong gámoda, dip him along that gámoda, splash along people. He call him name belong that man he been plant him garden, say, 'You plant him taro, sweet potato, yam; all that thing come out good, he no dead along ground. Next year he grow big one, make plenty kaikai."

„Missionary asks us to give up drinking gámoda," my informant said; „Me fellow think, 'Me leave him that thing? me no leave that thing?' Me fellow talk self, 'No, me no can leave that thing, that first thing in the world? Suppose me leave him, place come poor, you me (we) no got no kaikai. Suppose me no got no kaikai, what name (what thing) me eat? Me fellow fright (fear) Jesus Christ; one thing, me fright our kaikai too. That's why me fellow drink gámoda. Gamoda no all same grog. Grog that make proper wild, gámoda wild no come out, man he no much talk, he too slack, he want sleep. Morning he feel nothing." (Amúra, Mawáta).

270. The first gámoda sprang up at Sáreéve from the dung of a kangaroo and was found by a Másingára man named Bége. He called out, „Hallo, what's there come up? He smell belong him come, what name (what is) that he stop along ground, very nice?" He told the other men to come and look, but they did not dare touch the gámoda. One night the gámoda-plant came to Bége in a dream and said, "My name gámoda. More better you fellow drink me, that good thing." He showed the men how to prepare the drink, and went on, „You plant him that wood, by and by plenty gámoda he come. You drink first, behind (then) you give plenty people he drink. That dead he come (people fall into a drunken sleep), that no proper dead, by and by morning you get up."

Bége did as he had been told. He collected a quantity of gámoda-plants and prepared the beverage, while the people looked on. When Bége had emptied four small bowls of gámoda

哈

2

he became drunk, and the people said, "That no good, what name (what is it) you make him?

I think you go dead." You look me." Bége answered in a feeble voice. He drank again, lay down, and without moving any more fell into a deep sleep. The Másingára people were much frightened.

In the morning Bége and the rest went and brought home food and gámoda. On their return Bége prepared gámoda for all of them, and when they had drunk they exclaimed, "Oh, good thing that! More better you me (we) drink plenty time that one, you me no can leave him." And they all drank gamoda, ate, drank water, and smoked (,,drink tobacco") till they were drunk and fell asleep.

From that time onward everybody planted gámoda in his garden. Bége said, "That gamoda he belong man, no good woman drink milk belong gámoda. Man he want kobori (cohabit with) woman, he no drink gámoda first, he no want gámoda go along woman." (Gaméa, Mawáta).

271. A certain man of Doumóri (on the Fly) brought gamoda from the bush and prepared the drink for two of his friends. The two men, who had never tasted the beverage before, drank so much of it that they were unable to move for several days. Later on they went to Pisarámi and told the people there of gámoda. The Pisarámi people were eager to taste it, and they went to Doumóri and begged the people there,,,We want try that thing two fellow he drink, gamoda." The Doumóri people prepared a great quantity of gámoda, and all of them drank it, some of the women too. The next morning three Pisarámi men did not wake up at all, for they had consumed too much gámoda. They were dead, and the people buried them. And there was a quarrel, for the Pisarámi people said, "Me been come try that gámoda, what's good you give me plenty? Three man he dead, more better you pay me." What thing you like you speak me," said the Doumóri people. Three man he die, you give me three woman," and the Pisarámi people were giyen three women who were married to the brothers of the three dead men. Then the Pisarámi party went home, and they were friends with the Doumóri people. (Geróva, Mawáta).