The Folk-Tales of Ihc Kmai Papuans. 119 



morning Sigaru found her husband in the tree and after warming a stone axe in the tire she attempted 

 to cul down the tree. A wind blew it down, and it was eventually carried by the tide to Dibiri, the 

 dwelling place of Meuri, Sidor's brother. Nanatara, Meuri's wife came and sat down at the tree, and 

 Sidor committed a digital assault upon her which caused her to conceive. After a time Sidor was 

 discovered, and he and Meuri started to flght. The spirit of the latter went away and sent a message 

 by some birds to Sagaru asking her to take his bones home to Kiwai. Sidor's spirit went to Boigu 

 in a dugong, and from there he sent a message by a cockatoo asking Umo and Ahau, his mother and 

 grandniother, not to look for him as he would return to his family after a stay of seven months. They, 

 however, went to look for him and gave him water to drink from his own skull. Sidor said that 

 through their action in looking for him all men must die, otherwise everyone would have livad for 

 ever. He went on to Wibo, the abode of spirits. 



SOIDO (ef Index) AND PEKAI, THE PROMOTERS OF AGRICULTURE. 



44. S(')ido came from Därai, a place near the Gäma-iiromo (river) in Dibiri, and once 

 during his wanderings he arrived at Biidji. There he married a „bushman" woinan. In order to 

 clear land for a garden, he eut down the trees and bushes and let them dry in the sun ready 

 to be burned. But as he had no fire he sent his wife to get some from two bushmen who li\'ed 

 in the neighbourhood. One of them had rire constantly burning betvveen the thumb and index 

 of one hand. ^o VVhen the woman came and asked the two men for fire they said, „You no take 

 him fire vvhere me fellow burn him garden, you come here take him along hand." But when 

 she came up to them they caught hold of her, threw her down, and forced her to have connection 

 with them in turn. Then they gave her a firestick, and she went back. „You got fire?" Söido 

 asked her. „What name (what are you .saying about) fire.'" she answered angrily. „No good 

 you send me go along that place, two fellow been knock me down, kobari (have connection 

 with) me, before I get him firestick." Söido did not say a word, only thought to himself, „What 

 name (why) you two fellow huiry, knock down my wife quick? I been wait for you, you come 

 kobori my woman, make him good 'medicine', 1 rub him altogether yam, taro, everything before 

 plant him, make him plenty kaikai." 



Söido burned the bush, and prepared the soil for planting. Then he killed his wife, eut 

 up her body, and threw the pièces on the garden vvithout burying them, arms, legs, intestines, 

 and so on, and he also poured out the blood there. He was in a great rage. 



Söido went home and remained there for a time, and in his absence différent kinds of 

 food grew up from the severed parts of the dead woman. All the red food like taro and yams 

 sprang from her blood, and all the white food like sv\eet potatoes and bananas from her flesh 

 and bones. ä' Gåmoda and tobacco too grew there, and the various plants filled the whole garden. 

 On Coming back Söido was greatly surprised to see the great mäss of food, and when the roots 

 and fruit were ripe he collected them and began to eat. He swallowed the food whole without 

 biting it („all same cassowary") and the différent things passed through his bod\- right into his 

 genital parts which became full. 



One day Söido wanted to go to Möre (one of the Murray islands), so he summoned a 

 turtle and entered the animal by its mouth, loading it in the same way with all kinds of food. 



N:o 1. 



