The Folk-Tales of f/w Kiivai Papuans. 55 



HOW THE WASPS BECAME BLACK AND YELLOW. 



447. A hunter was stung to death by a swarm of wasps, and his spirit told his wite in 

 a dream where his bod_v was. She found it, hut as she could not go close to it because of the 

 wasps she set fire to the grass. The dead body was carried home, and the wasps had been 

 scorched. 



THE TREE MAN AND THE SEA SNAKE WHO USED TO VISIT EACH OTHER. 



448. On an Island there grew a tree which was also a man, anil in the sea there üved 

 a snake, and they used to visit each other. 



THE BANANA TREES WHO WAILED IN THE ABANDONED GARDEN. 



449. An old banana garden had been abandoned by the owner who only looked after 

 the trees in his new garden. One da\- he heard the trees wailing in the deserted garden and 

 went and took care of them. 



HOW TREES CAME TO GROW IN KIWAI. 



450. A man was slain by the people, and his son pulled out the spears with which he 

 had been killed and threw them away, and they Struck root and grevv into a dense bush. Thus 

 in revenge of his father's death he gave the people hard uork in making their gardens. Différent 

 parts of the dead body turned into différent trees and plants. 



XIX. TALES OF THE HEAVENLY BODIES (451-455) 



THE STARS. 



451 — 1-52. Tâgai went to spear fish with his sons, and as the latter quarrelled among 

 themselves he speared them and hurle«.! them up intn the sky where they became certain constel- 

 lations. Tâgai too was transformed into certain stars. — Tàgai was angry because his sons had 

 drunk his water. — The man Kârongo became a constellation. 



THE MOON (GANUMI). 



45.3. While Ganûmi was a litte boy his mother gave birth to another child, and Ganûmi 

 was put to sleep on a mat which was stained with her blood. Through this he was transformed 

 into a red parrot. In the shape of the bird he was caughî by some girls, and in the night he 

 resumed his human form and had connection with one of them. The two were found out, and 

 the people came to kill Ganûmi. He caused himself to be hurled up into the sky from the 

 top of a sago tree, dragged his mother with him, and they remained in heaven. While 

 N:o 1. 



