The Folk-Tales of thc Kiivai Papuans. 73 



When the woman came to her boys, who were occupied vvith preparing the captured 

 head, she at once recognized it as her brother's. „Oh, you been kill that man!" she cried, „he 

 brother belong me, no good you kill him my brother!" She drevv out the head-carrier and began 

 to wail, and the two boys vvailed also, saying to her, „Mother, I no savy brother belong you." 



The boys held a great feast to celebrate the death of the man they had killed. Gdnioda 

 (for making a certain drink, cf. p. 14) and ail kinds of food were brought in from the bush, and 

 the women prepared a great spread. Next day when the feast was over the two boys started to 

 manufacture a great number of beheading-knives. They vvorked at them for several months, but 

 no one except their mother knew what they were doing. She hid ail the knives in two bags 

 made of mats. When a sufficient number of knives were ready the boys said to their father, 

 „Me go small Island catch him fish," and they went there, taking their mother and all the knives 

 with them in the canoe. They paddled over to the Island, but only remained there for a little 

 while, and then proceeded to Kfwai. 



On arriving there the two boys said, „Oh, mother, me fright now (for the Kivvai people 

 were their enemies). You go straight where big brother he stop, you catch (find) him." „You 

 two fellovv stop along canoe," said the mother, „I go self (alone), sing out (call) big brother." 

 And she left them. The Ki'wai men were all sitting in the mens house, and when the woman 

 heard her brothers voice she thought to herseif, „Oh, my brother, plenty man sit down, my 

 brother he j'arn." She went underneath the house and waited there quietly. After a while her 

 brother said to the other men, „Altogether man you stop, I go house belong me," and when he 

 came out the woman went up to him and caught him by the hand saying, „Oh, my brother!" 

 and she wept. „Oh, who that?" he exclaimed, and she said, „Oh, brother, I here. Kubira man 

 no been kill me, he marry me." They went together to his house, and she said, „Brother, my 

 two boy stop along canoe." „You go take two boy belong you. Kiwai man no kill him two 

 boy belong you; I big man." 



The two boys had brought with them the skull of the man they had killed, and a long 

 string of dog's teeth was wound round and round it, hiding it completely as in a ball. The 

 mother called to them to come, and they jumped on shore, bringing their bows and arrows and 

 the skull with them. They all went into the house of the great man, and he spread out mats for 

 them. „You sit down," said he, „I go man-house." And he went there and ordered the Ki'wai 

 men, „You sleep man-house (ddrimo), altogether man, I go sleep house (moto)." Then he re- 

 turned to his own house, and his two wives prepared food for all the people. The Ki'wai men 

 did not know of the strangers' présence, and all slept in the night. 



In the early morning the two bags of beheading-knives and the skull were .brought into 

 the house. The woman said to her brother, „Oh, two boy belong me kill him that man, that's 

 why me three man (persons) he come." The two young men presented him with stone axes 

 and a long string of dog's teeth in payment for the man they had killed. Then they gave him 

 a beheading-knife and showed him hovv to use it bj' cutting off a pièce of a coconut-husk. „Same 

 fashion you eut him head," they explained. 



When the people woke up they were told to come to the head man. With him were 

 the two boys and their mother, and the people said wonderingly, „Who belong that two boy?" 

 The head man said, .,He belong Kubira. Kubira man no been kill him that woman, my sister, 



N:o 1. Il» 



