214 Gunnar Landtman. 



THE BIHARE (ef. Index). 



131. The words biliare, ebihare (in Kiwai obisare) and less QommoxAy giriwiiro are applied 

 to all such mysterious beings, particularly those living in the sea, which are not known under a special 

 name. At the same tinie the blhare are spöken of as definite beings, all more or less alike. 



A Kubira man named Méuri, who had heen put to shame before his people (ef. no. 224), 

 on a fighting expedition to Davåre let himself be killed by the enemy, and his wife too was slain. 

 Some time afterwards their children vvanted to go to Davåre and set out in a canoe, but 

 the canoe sank on the way and those on board vvere drowned. They were transformed 

 into bihare. 



The people are mueh afraid of places in the sea where the bihare dwell, as indicated by 

 otherwise inexplicable breakers and eddies in the water. The bihare cause the sea to „make noise" 

 and the water to „come up all same saucepan he boil". (Gibiima, Mawäta). 



THE OBOUBI (ef. Index). 



1.32. At Ki'müsu reef there live some of the water beings which are called oboiibi. They kiil 

 and eat dugong, the bones of which they leave on the reef. At low water lots of these bones may 

 be seen there, some old ones belonging to dugong killed long ago, and some quite fresh. They 

 are placed in circles, in the same way as people arrange skulls which they have captured 

 from enemies. 



There are both males and females among the öboiibi. They look like ordinary people, 

 hut their females have no grass skirt on. Their language is the same as that of men. The 

 oboiibi are the masters of crocodiles and other water animais. If a crocodile has been killed and 

 eut up somewhere, the ôboiibi will appear there the next night, guided by the traces of blood, 

 and will wail, „Oh, man been kill him, he eut him hère, cook him. Oh, what name (why) he 

 been kill him, me been make him grow?" This wailing can be heard in the night. If a canoe 

 gets lost at sea the people on board will be eaught by the ôboûbi, with whom they remain ever 

 after; sometimes the ôboûbi eat them. (Nàmai, Mawâta). 



THE BUSERE-BUSERE CAUSE S AGO TO GROW IN KIWAI (cf. Index). 



133. The beings called buscrc-btisc're in Ki'wai and buhcrc-buhcrc in Mawâta are unmarried 

 mythical girls who live together in the bush. They do not do harm to anybody and are always 

 willing to marry any man who would come to them. 



At Wägi in Purùtu there lived a number of busére-busere with their father, whose name 

 was Båsimu (ef Index). The girls used to make sago, pounding the pith of the palms which 

 Båsime eut down for them. One day he felled a sago palm, cutting off the top, and it got into 

 the water and floated över to Kfwai. There the fruit of the tree feil on the ground and began 

 to grow. There have been sago palms in Kiwai ever since, but their original home is Purùtu. 

 One variety of the sago palm (döu) is still called Bäsimu don. (Kdiku, Ipisia). 



Tom. XLVII. 



