77!^ Folk-Tales of ilic Kiwai Papuans. 81 



WANDERINGS OF THE MASINGARA AND OTHER BUSH TRIBES. 



10. All the peuple in the bush have come in the first place from Mdsingära. 



One day the Mdsingära men went to hunt pigs and cassowaries, vvhile the boys went by 

 themselves to iooi< for birds and bush-rats. One of the bo3'S shot a wallaby, but it was not 

 iciiled, and w iiile the animal was running with the arrow sticking in its body another boy shot it 

 in the neck and killed it. The first boy was angry and cried out, „What's the matter you shoot 

 him? He belong me." „No," the other boy retorted, „he belong me, I shoot him finish," and he 

 kept and cooked the wallaby and distributed tiie meat among his friands. The first boy was very 

 much disgusted and thought to himself, „VVhat name (why) that everybody kaikai, no give me?" 

 He took a sharp acrow-head of bamboo, attached it to the shaft of one of his small arrows, and 

 shot at the other boy hitting him in the neck, and the boy was killed. His friends who belonged 

 to the irupi group of people sprang up and began a fight. The news was brought to the dead 

 boy's father, „Oh, you (your) pickaninny, one boy been shoot him. He wild for wallaby." The 

 man came running and in a short time the grown people had joined in the fight. The enraged 

 father chewed the leaf of an dulii plant (which is connected with fighting) and spät the juice över 

 the people, saying, „That fight he no finish, he keep on all time." This rite is called karm 

 (ef. p. 14). 



The rupture among the people was com[)lete, and the différent groups separated. Some 

 men remained at M;ising:ira, the rest departed for Irupi, T;iti, Djihdru, or Sdwa (on the Dirimo 

 side). Thus M.isingdra is the centre and beginning of all the peoples. Up to the present time 

 these différent groups have waged war on each other continualiy. (Some Mdsingdra men). 



A. Tiiis version is very like the preceding one. The fight started at Glulu, and from there 

 some people went and settled down at Irupi. After many fights belween these two groups the Glulu 

 people nioved to the present Mâsingàra. (Some Mdsingara men). 



B. The M.-ising.ira boys once began to fight among themselves, and soon a general battle 

 ensued. When the affray was över, groups of people went and settled down at Täti, Sögale, Iruupi, 

 Glulu, and Äderapiipu. After a time the Iruüpi and Aderapupu people began to fight, and the latter 

 moved back to Mdsingara. (Jdba and Véregîa, Mdsingdra). 



11. The Mdsingéra people used formerly to live at Sdreéve. The name of one of their 

 leaders was Bdrberi. The people were desperatelj' troubled by mosquitoes, ^ and one day they 

 said to Bdrberi, ,.My God, j'ou head-man belong me fellow, B.irberi, you go look one place where 

 me fellow stop, this place too much mosquito." Bdrberi took his bow and bündle of arrows and 

 set out to look for a suitable site for a new village. He came to BcJromondnadji, but when he 

 sat down there he heard the buzzing of mosquitoes, so he went on and came to another place 

 which he named Pfilegide. But even here did mosquitoes hold sway in great numbers, so he left the 

 place and proceeded to Masingdra. He sat down and found that there were no mosquitoes, so he 

 decided to bring his people o\er there. The people all put their things together and followed 

 Bdrberi to Mdsingara where they built a new village. Bdrberi divided the land among them. They 

 all slept well in the night, untroubled by mosquitoes. In the morning the people said to Bdrberi, 

 N:o 1. 11 



