196 



Gunnar Landtman. 



taie of Wàwa and the bushman of Wdwa's lice becoming crabs. After saying this the man chews 

 a little of a plant called mdnabàba and spits it out in front of himself, while some of the »tänababa 

 is spät into an empty coconut-bowl vvhich he places on the ground just behind his heels. Turning 

 round he puts his hand on the bowl („he take smell belong mdnabdba"), and then touches his 

 forehead with the same hand; this is meant to sharpen his eyesight, so that'he may find the crabs 

 quickly. The same process is repeated by the other people, after which the coconut-shell is left 

 on the beach to be carried about by the tide, („smell he go all över, sing out (summon) that 

 crab"). Wåwa has taught the people in a dream to do so, he also teaches them hovv to make 

 their gardens. One man, Däbu, is considered to be a particular friend of Wäwa, who appears to 

 him in dreams („that's why Däbu he got plenty garden"). Nowadays the people do not appeal to 

 Wäwa as carefuUy as they used to, and this is the reason why they do not get so many crabs 

 now as formerly. 



From Wâwa's house a path leads 

 to a flat slab of rock on which he 

 sharpens his stone axe, as can be seen 

 from some oblong marks in the rock. 

 The path always remains well worn 

 although never used by any ordinary 

 man. (Nåmai, Mawâta). 



Marks in a rock wliere Wäwa sharpens his stone axe. 



104. Wäwa has many times ap- 



peared at night to a man named Säibu. 



Once Wäwa summoned together all 



the snakes, centipedes, and small lizards, 



which appeared in three large flocks, 



and said to Säibu, „You look, all picka- 



ninny belong me." Another time Wäwa 



showed him a certain wood, and told 



him that if anybody chewed a pièce 



of it and spät it on any man, that man would die. He also gave him a human bone and bade him insert 



a small pièce of it in the bottom end of a fence-pole; this would protect the garden against pigs. 



Instead of the human bone a pièce of a starfish could be used. Once Wäwa handed him the skull 



of a man, and when he took it, it became quite small in his hand and ultimately changed into some 



earth. Wäwa told him to swallow it, which he did, and after a while the earth came up again. That 



earth was „medicine" for taro. When planting taro one shouJd put the end of the digging stick 



between the lips after having taken some earth into the mouth, and the digging stick should 



then be rubbed with the earth attaching to it, and the rest should be spät out on the taro to 



be planted. 



When the man woke up he found earth in his mouth, and afterwards discovered the 



other „medicine" at a place indicated by Wäwa. Other men also have been visited in dreams by 



Wäwa. (Nämai, Mawäta). 



Tom. XLVll. 



