212 Gunnar Landtman. 



and arrow. Bfdja was the first man to catch fish, for up to that time the .Mawäta people only 

 collected shell-fish. They called ordinary fish ebihare (mysterious beings, ef. no. 131) and ran 

 away from them. 



In the morning Bidja went to shoot fish, carefully foUowing the directions given him by 

 the wallaby which was an ctengena. Holding the stone in his hand he chewed a plant called 

 mänabåba and spät some of it on the stone, on his penis, and on his seaward leg. With that leg 

 he kicked some water up on the beach, as if throwing up a fish, at the same time making a 

 gesture towards the shore uith the whole of his body, his penis, and the stone in his hand. This 

 action wouid cause plenty of fish to come and be thrown up on the beach. 



At first Bidja only shot a sting-ray, for he wanted to try what the taste of the fish was 

 like. The others said, „You chuck away, that ebihare!^ „No," he said, „1 no chuck away, 

 somebody been speak me along dream." He cooked the fish and ate some of it: „Oh, that 

 good kaikai. Shell-fish — another kind, this one he sweet." When he had eaten he Jay 

 down to sleep. 



Contrary to their expectation the people found in the morning that Bidja was none the 

 worse for eating the ebihare. Then Bfdja went to shoot many fish. When he returned to the 

 village the people called their children away from the man who carried the ebihare. Bidja said, 

 „You fellow no call that ebihare, by and by you leave him garden, kaikai that thing." When 

 the fish were cooked Bidja distributed them among the people. Some men did not want to eat 

 them, but others tasted a little and said, „Oh, that good kaikai! More better leave him garden. 

 This thing I kaikai, before (formerly) kaikai shell-fish, that's all." 



Thenceforward the people discontinued their work in the gardens and went flshing. 

 Gàgu, Mawåta). 



A. Bidja saw tiie wallaby in his garden, and in the night it came to him and taught him liow 

 to catch fish, which the Mawäta people did not know before. At first they were afraid to eat the fish 

 which Bidja caught for them, but he persuaded them to try, and soon they took a great liking to the 

 new food. Alter that they began to catch fish themselves. (Amiira, Mawäta). 



THE DREAM-GIVER WHO WAS THE SON OF A CASSOWARY. 



130. Once at Djfbu a cassowary laid two eggs, from which a boy and a girl were 

 hatched. In course of time the children grew up. The name of the boy was Emobåli. The 

 man who used to look after the cassowary took him to live in the men's house. When the boy 

 was grown up, he wanted to go and see his mother, but the man said, „No, you stop all time 

 along man-house." Émobåli did not know who his mother was. The man who looked after 

 him gave him a bow and arrows, and he began to hunt pig and other game in the bush, 

 sometimes killing two pigs and sometimes as many as three. He also helped the people to work 

 in the garden. Émobåli supposed that his mother was a woman, but his guardian would not 

 allow him to go and see her. 



From the legs and neck of the cassowary, who was the mother of the two children, 

 short pegs like stumps of branches protruded. On thèse the people hung their water-vessels, and 



Tom. XLVIl. 



