The Folk-Tales of the Kiiuai Papuans. 209 



he made five iéna-avrows. He foUowed the advice of the spirits. His new arrovvs inflicted deadly 

 wounds even if they hit a man in a „small place". (Gaméa, Mawäta). 



123. Once the Mawäta women vvere damming up a creek and bailing out the water to catch 

 fish. A man named Nâmai was there too and shot a fish called iivpora, but before he had time 

 to seize it the mipåra changed into another fish called hirimàe. Nâmai's wife came to the place 

 and scolded him because he had gone with the other women leaving her at home, and he 

 answered her angril}-. They all returned home, and the women washed their catch in the Sébiâgo 

 creek just outside the village. A sudden drowsiness came upon Ndmai, and while the women 

 were cooking the fish he feil asleep. An elengena (mythical being, cf. Introduction to no. 102) 

 appeared to him and said, „Where you been shoot that fish, me been stop there. You no been 

 shoot fish, you shoot me." The being indicated the place where Näniai would find him: „VVhat 

 place ground he burst, smoke come up, I stop that place, you no think another thing he stop, 

 that s me." 



In the middle of the night Nâmai got up, took his weapons, and went to look for the 

 étengeua. He returned to the place where he had been shooting fish on the previous day, but 

 not finding anything proceeded further into the bush. Day was dawning. Nåmai came to a 

 creek and constructed a raft of bamboo on which he poled himself across. On the other side 

 hö met a cassowary running in the opposite direction, which was a sign from the etengena 

 that he should go back. But he did mit understand the sign tili he met a hawk which was flying 

 in the same direction carrj'ing a .snake in its claws. Then he thought, „No, more better I go 

 back." He ferried himself over the creek, and by that time it was broad daylight. There was a 

 tree bending over the water, and suddenly Nâmai remembered that he had seen the same tree in 

 his dreani and that this was the ftengena's place. He poled the raft underneath the tree, and 

 at the same moment the bottom of the creek burst, and „smoke" came bubbling up through the water. 

 Nâmai left his bow and arrows on the shore and waded out in the water to the place where 

 he had seen the „smoke". Feeling about on the bottom he picked up with his feet a little earth, 

 some white and some yellow, which he rolled up in leaves. On his way home he met two 

 girls, Mâwa and Kâupa, who had foUowed his tracks, wondering where he had gone, since he 

 had quarrelled with his wife. His wife too had come, for she was anxious on account of his 

 absence. AU the other women were catching fish on the beach, and seeing that Nâmai held 

 something in his hand they thought, „Oh, another thing he been pick him up. I think devil 

 (spirit) been learn (teach) him, that's why he been go." 



While Nâmai was asleep the next night his spirit went to a place called Kiira. He found 

 there some Mawäta people who were in a State of starvation. Bad fruit, ants, and all sorts of 

 rubbish were their only food („all he too poor altogether, neck he long, that's all bone"). Nâmai 

 had become as thin as the rest. The people gave him a basketful of bad food with which he 

 went back. In Kura creek there was a crocodile which carried on its head a large bunch of taro 

 and coconut leaves. i^ While Nämai was swimming across the creek, tlie crocodile overtook him, 

 and struggle as he would he could not get away. As he tried to push aside the bush, some 

 coconut leaves remained in his hand. At last he reached the shore, still holding the leaves. Once 

 he reached the other side of the creek he became as strong and fat as before. 

 JSJ:o 1. 27 



