The Folk-Taks of Ute Khvai Papuans. 149 



Nimo wanted Meréva to come and live vvith him, and lie said, „More better you corne 

 along my place Àita." But the other wanted Ni'mo to come to him: „No," he said, „more better 

 you come hère, that inland place that belong bushman, more better you come outside," and so 

 they kept on arguing. „More better you come my place," Ni'mo maintained, ,you me go, plenty 

 garden he stop." At last Ni'mo had to give it up and go back alone. On arriving home he told 

 his younger brother Pùipui, „I find him one man — ev'ery time I been look, no find him no man. 

 Meréva he stop." 



One day Nimo and Püipui told their sister Sagäru, „Me two fellovv go look sister along 

 Old Mavvdta. You no fright, you stop, make garden. By and by me two fellow come back." 

 Ha\ing left her the two men came out to Meréva's place, and he asked them, „Where you two 

 fellow want go?" And they answered, „Me two go fellow that road (along the coast), go look 

 sister." „Where you two fellow canoe.'" „Somewhere, me leave canoe there." „Oh, you gam- 

 mon," Meréva said, „I no been see canoe." The two men slept at Meréva's place. 



When they got up in the morning the brothers took a bowl made of a coconut-shell and 

 placed it on the water. Nimo went first and stood up in the shell and after him his brother, 

 holding tightly on to him („two foot one place"). Whirling round and round the shell went away 

 with them över to the New Guinea coast. On their landing Nimo put the coconut-shell in his 

 basket. And the younger brother asked, „What name place?" to which Nimo answered, „That 

 Sarûpa-gâgato," a name referring to traditions connected with the place where many Säibai men 

 had been killed by bushmen. None of the places to which the two brothers went had names 

 the before, but Nimo gave them names. 



Proceeding on their way the brothers saw a crocodile in the water, and Püipui exclaimed, 

 „Brother, what name (what is it) come up?" „That keddru köiko," Nimo answered in the Säibai 

 language, which means a „crocodile's head", and the place was named accordingly. 



They went on, and seeing a turtle in the water the younger brother asked, „Brother, 

 what name (kind of a) head?" and Nimo said, „Warn köiko (a turtle's head)," according to which 

 place was named. 



While he was Walking the younger brother eut his foot on an oyster-shell and called to 

 Nimo, „Brother, what name that, eut him foot belong me?" „That göiri (oyster) eut you," and 

 they named the place Göiri-gtdju. 



Another time Puipui pricked his foot on the spine of a fish, ivahada, and cried out, „What name 

 (what kind of a) fish?" The brother said, „That iväbada,'' and the place was called Wâbada-méape. 



Continuing their march they saw fiying foxes (in the Saibai language sapiiro) fiuttering 

 över an Island, which they named Sapüro-käwa. A little farther on they came to a creek which 

 they called Bùiai-kâsa and a point near by, Biiiai-köiko, but thèse names are not explained; they 

 only „come along mouth belong two fellow." 



The two Wanderers sat down to rest at Mâbudavàne and saw hovv the hush in Säibai had 

 sank towards the horizon. They called the creek Mâbudavâne-kâsa and the point opposite Pàho 

 Island Hérehére-miiba, the name being connected with eduri which means see, — they saw the 

 open sea from there. Nimo took out the coconut-shell from his basket, and it carried them over 

 to Päho. The point of the Island facing the mainland was called Säreäbu because there the river 

 divides into two arms. They found Basai (cf. no. 107), the place where the ground gives an 

 N:o 1. 



