DATA AND NOTES. 331 



Nggao, Belaga, Nggela, Vaturanga, Bugotu, Omba, Sesake: mbongi, 

 night. Fagani, Alite, New Georgia, Guadalcanal - , Epi : bongi, id. 

 Sinaugoro, Galoma, Kiriwina : bogi, id. Marina, Southeast Epi : 

 pongi, id. Keapara, Galoma, Rubi: pogi, id. Western Epi: 

 ombongi, id. Bierian: im-bong, id. Malo: bong, id. Savo: 

 />0W<7, id. Duke of York, Matupit, Kabakada, Pala, Baravon: 

 bung, id. Malekula: ambling, id. Tanna: la-ben, id. Santo: 

 />ow, id. Santo Wulua: />om', id. Maewo, Gog, Motlav, 



Norbarbar: kmbwon, id. Arag, Vuras, Lakon: kpwon, id. 

 Mota: mpwon, id. Lo: kwon, id. Volow: nggmbwon, id. 

 Aneityum: />twg, night; aping, black; poing, dark. Motu, 

 Rubi: 6oi, night. Dobu: boiboi, id. Vaturanga: fcora, black. 

 Baki: bongian, night. Deni: m&o, black; w&w, night. Nggela: 

 pungi, darkness. Bugotu: puni, darkness. Bugotu: puni, 

 dark. Buka: abung, evening; boni, night. Pokau, Sariba, 

 Tubetube : boni, night. Baravon : bobotoi, darkness. Lamassa : 

 mbung, dark. Moanus : pong, vong, day in calendar. Santo : 

 pon, id. Baki: bongo, id. Bierian: bong, id. Eromanga: 

 po-arap, evening. Murua: bogu, night. Kiviri: pom, id. 

 Mukawa: pomai, id. 



Java, Salayer: bungi, night. Macassar: boetta, dark; boeta, blind. 

 Teor: pogaragara, night. 



Arabic: fahuma, to be black; fuhum, black; fahma-t, night. 



(Darkness — Samoa: pouliuli. Niue, Futuna, Nuguria: pouli. 



Tonga : bouli. Rarotonga, Manahiki : pouri. Tahiti : poiri. 

 Aniwa: ouri (vide sup.). Hawaii: poeleele. Marquesas: 

 potana (vide sup.). Fakaafo, Vate, Maori: po.) 



The Proto-Samoan stem is pongis, which appears in Samoan pongisa. 

 By a continuous process of terminal abrasion we reach successive operative 

 stems in pongi, pong and po, all of which will readily be found in this record, 

 and all except the closed stem pong in Polynesia. 



The primal sense is the absence of light, just as the common name for 

 day, aso, is mediately a sun term and ultimately a word for light. This 

 absence of light is most conspicuous in life by the night ; a very easy tropical 

 change establishes the night word out of the dark word. 



It marks an advance in capacity for thinking in analogies to recognize 

 in black color and in the black pigment, in which color knowledge first 

 becomes practical, the absence of color, therefore the absence of light. 

 Physiology drawing upon optical physics and the psychology of the color 

 sense in equal drafts is but lately beginning to discover that some rod and 

 cone structure of the retina is responsive to color stimulus and other to the 

 varying stimulus of the amount of light. Yet certain of our islanders 

 have seen the analogy ; Efate bong is the black pigment. 



To all comes alike the darkness after the day. In the crudity of island 

 life there may come to almost anyone the accident of a life all warfare 

 which may bring night upon the sight, the sunset forever of the blind. To 

 far too many helpless innocents comes ophthalmia neonatorum. Hence po 

 darkness (more commonly in the composite matapo eye-dark) means also 

 blind. 



