The Folk-Tales of the Ktiviu Papnans. 67 



many children. That was the beginning of the Kiwai people, and they came from Dibiri near the 

 mountains Sivare and Näkare. 



The cterari caught fish in the night by swallowing them, and in the morning it came and 

 threw some of them up for the man and vvoman, keeping some for itself. The two roasted the 

 fish and brought some to the cterari, but it said, „You two kaikai (eat), I kaikai raw, cook-one I no 

 want him. I kil! fish for you." The cterari spöke to the people hy beating the ground with its 

 tail, but in the night its spirit came to them and spöke with a human voice. The only thing 

 which it told them to do was to paint it before a fight. 



One day some Dibiri people came sailing along, for they wanted to see what had become 

 of the man and vvoman. The two painted the cterari, and it leaped about, lashing the ground 

 with its tail, ready for battle. But the man said, „That friend belong me fellow, you no kill him," 

 and the cterari bent its head in acquiescence and nodded to the people to come, and it killed fish 

 for them. The name of the cterari was Dipömu. It belonged to Kubira and is still spöken of as 

 the particular local being of that village. The Kubira people were the first to settle in Kiwai, 

 their village was inhabited before läsa. 



Kivvai Island, which was at first quite small, gradually grew larger and larger. The people 

 lived in the ground before there were any trees, and it was only afterwards that they built houses. 

 At first they all lived together in the same place, but låter on they spread över the whole Island, 

 „like a bündle of arruws the string of which is unfastened," said the narrator. (Nämai, Mawåta). 



A. This version is very like the first one. The man and woman, on arriving at Kubira from 

 Dibiri, put down some fruit and other garden produce on the ground, and in one night the various 

 things Struck root and grew up lo full-sized trees and plants. ' The leaves rustled in the wind against 

 the roof of the house and the people, who had not heard that sound before, thought, „What name 

 (what is) that? He no got no wood along this island." * The éterari is the ororärora (mythical local 

 being) of Kubira. (Duane, Mawåta). 



B. Rather similar to the previous versions. The parents of the boy who was killed were 

 named Wdsido and Éei, and the woman who killed him was called Keréme. While watching the sleeping 

 child, Keréme, occupied with making a belt, was annoyed by some small dögs who were playing about 

 close to her, and she beat them with a stick. When the child began to move she thought that it was 

 a dog, so she Struck out at it blindly and killed it. On arriving at Kubira VVåsido and Éei put the 

 child's body on a platform, and when only the bones remained they buried them close to the house, 

 e.xcept the skull which they washed and kept. They were kindly received by the éterari. All sorts of 

 refuse from the village caused Kiwai island to grow larger and larger. ^ Noticing the island which 

 had arisen before their eyes the iVIanavete people said, „What that island? Me no been see that island 

 before," and they went över there and met Wdsido and Éei, who induced them to come and live there, 

 leaving only the bad people behind. From Gdima and Wariobödoro too the good people came to live 

 in Kiwai, but from Düdi and Dibiri none came. As all the people could not live in the same place, 

 some subsequently went to läsa where they built a village at Bårasdro in the bush, the rest remaining 

 at Kubira. (Gaméa, Mawdta). 



C. A certain man named Égereba living at Pdturi creek in Mandvete once lost his boy Arara 

 who was taken by a crocodile (cf. no. 1). He and his wife set out in a canoe to look for the boy. 

 After a long journey they arrived in Kiwai, which was then a sandbank, and were received by the 



N:o 1. 



