The Folk-Taks oj Ihc Kiwai Papuans. 69 



stick from Manävete (ef. no. 272), crying out, „Here siirel'^ which is the Manävete word for fire, but 



Damera said, „That name sure no good, more better I give other name, //a." Coconut trees were at 



first called gägama from the name of the famous tree of låsa (ef. no. 4), but Daméra named them oi. 

 (K;'iku, Ipisia). 



B. Another short story telling how Daméra went to explore the shore, spying about as in the 

 preceding version. He indueed the people to move out to the sea, and they settled dovvn on both sides 

 of the Oromoturi ereek. The settlement on the one side was ealled låsa, and that on the other side 

 Gebdro. (Käku, Ipisia). 



C. Daméra's diseovery of the sea and the migration of the people to the coast are related in a 

 few sentences. (Gaméa, Mawåta). 



D. The låsa people, living at låsamuba in the bush, heard the sound of the sea, and one of 

 their chief men indueed them to move out to the coast, although they were at first afraid of the sea. 

 (Nåtai, Ipisfa). 



E. Very like the preceding version. After building the village of låsa on the coast some men 

 went and founded Paåra. (Obiiro, låsa). 



F. The Kiwai people who lived in the bush once sent two men named Boruböru and Siousfou 

 to find out what the sound was, which could be heard from far away. The two men found the sea and 

 persuaded the others to move their village out there. (Epére, Ipisia). 



THE FICHT ABOUT GAGAMA, THE COCONUT PALM, AND THE PARTING 



OF THE KIWAI PEOPLE. 



4. It happened once at Pedéa, or Pededdrimo (which is said to be the same as läsa), 

 that (ine of the vvomen wore too small a petticoat, while those of the others were of ordinary 

 size, and some of the men reprimanded her Ibr her déficient dress which did not keep in place. 

 The woman's husband told her to stay in the village and make a new grass petticoat while he 

 went alone to the garden. Now this man was the owner of the famous coconut tree calied Gägama. 

 In his absence his brother-in-law, whose name was Mtirau, came to the woman, his sister, and 

 asked for some nuts of the Gägama. Being afraid of her husband she refused however to let him 

 have any. Miirau argued with her and promised to défend her in case she should be beaten by 

 her husband, then without heeding her objections he chmbed the tree and knocked down five nuts. 



At the same moment the owner of the tree, who was working in his garden, suddendly 

 thought to himself, „What name (what is) that, I come very lazy (drowsy) now? I think somebody 

 steal thing belong me." So he left his work and came home. G;igama was a kind of living 

 being, and when the thief was climbing up it made a creaking sound, „Ke-ke-ke-ko"' , so as to let 

 its master know. The man discovered the theft and became furiousiy angry with his wife for 

 having permitîed it. She assured her enraged husband that she had tried to stop her brother, but 

 he hit her with his digging stick, and she called out, „Muraij, Muraii! Man belong me he fight 

 me!" Ail her brothers carne running up and caught hold of the man, and Mürau Struck him 

 with his stone club and killed him. The people at once joined in the fight, everybody taking one 



N:o 1. 



