1920] 



on String Figures 



103 



This figure is called The Coral Reef = lagaru at Mailu, E.C. 

 Papua, and is also known at Mawata, W. Papua. At Mebu Island, 

 at the mouth of the Fly River, it is called " Men going along a path 

 to make a garden " = gctbo (a path), and shows first the empty path 

 and then two men, and so on ; they then return until the path is empty 

 again. In Kiwi Island, near by, it is called " Women going into the 

 bush " = ttpi. Mr. Oompton* describes the first part of this figure 

 as " The Sardines " = Wene oue, from Lifu, Loyalty Islands. The 

 four-diamond stage is figured by Roth f as " Four Shrimps," from 

 Princess Charlotte Bay, N. Queensland. 



10. An Alaskan River. (Thlinkit, British Columbia.) 



Opening A with middle fingers. 



Pass thumbs proximal to the middle-finger loops, and with their 



backs pick up the ulnar middle-finger strings. Release middle 



fingers. 

 Transfer little-finger loops to thumbs, keeping these three loops on 



the thumbs in their right order. 

 Pass the little fingers into the thumb loops from the proximal side, 



and hook down the distal ulnar thumb string. 

 With the right index pick up from the proximal side the distal radial 



right-thumb string, and with the left index pick up the same 



(not distal) string from the left thumb, lifting this string off 



the thumbs. 

 Lift off the thumbs the straight string passing between them and 



extend. 



This represents a river flowing between two mountains. 



Fig. 18.— An Alaskan River. 



* Compton, R. H., " String Figures from New Caledonia and the Loyalty 

 Islands," Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain 

 and Ireland, vol. xlix. July to December 1919. 



+ Roth, W. E. 



1902, plate viii. 2. 



j uiv uu x^eueixiucj. ±ca.j. 



North Queensland Ethnography," Bui. No. 4, March 

 'Copied in Jayne, " String Figures " (see note t, page 106). 



