The Folk-Tales of tite Kiwai Papuans. 285 



vulvae, he called out to the other boys to come. They ran up, and each of them caught a girl 

 in his arms and had connection with her. The girls became married to the boys, and the first 

 boy took the eldest girl. Lastly they all returned home with the hsh they had caught. At home 

 the marriages vvere sanctioned by the parents. (Gibüma, Mawàta). 



218. A certain Sâibai boy used to court several girls at the same time and sleep with 

 them at night. Once one of the girls asked the others, „That man he been come along me; 

 he no been come along you.'" „Yes, every night he come kobôri (cohabit with) me fellow," they 

 answered. Then the eldest „sister" asked the others to make some kind of hooks and all went to- 

 gether into the bush. On seeing them the man set off after them. The eldest girl asked the 

 others to hide in the bush, v\'hile she took off her petticoat and waited for him at the path. „That 

 time that man he try kobori me," she said, „you come catch hold him." The man came and 

 took hold of the girl, throwing her down, and at the same moment the other girls rushed forward 

 and caught him with their hooks so that he could not move. He was torn to pièces with the 

 Sharp hooks. VVhen he was dead, the girls eut off his genitals, burnt his body, and threw his 

 bones into the bush. 



It is a bad fashion when a man cohabits with many girls at the same time. (Médi 

 Mawäta). 



219. At Muogido on the Öriomu livad a certain woman, and in the bush on the other 

 side of the river lived a man. One day while fishing he came to the river-bank opposite the 

 place where she lived. He happened to see her with her petticoat in disorder and being seized with 

 a violent passion for her he put down his bow and arrows in order to swim across the river and 

 catch her. But she called out, „You no come, just now alligator he come, I see alligator to-day." 

 The man was frightened, picked up his weapons and went home. There he dug up the skulls 

 of his dead parents, washed them in the water, and left them to dry in the sun. In the night 

 he lay down to sleep on his back with one skull in each armpit, for he wanted the spirits of 

 his parents to come and speak to him in a dream. By his side he had a heavy stick. In the 

 middle of the night he woke up, seized the stick, and called out, „What's the matter you two no 

 come quick, teil me? I been sleep long time. Suppose von no come, I break him head belong 

 you." Then he lay down again, and after a while the parents came and said, „You get up, j-ou 

 go along that woman. That woman he gammon, no alligator he come." 



In the morning the man woke up and thought, „Oh, mother, father, he been come, he 

 been talk along me good!" And he put the skulls back into the grave. Then he seized his 

 weapons and went down to the river opposite the woman's home. Again he saw her with her 

 petticoat open. He threw down his weapons and started to swim across the river. „You go back, 

 just now I see alligator float to-day," cried the woman. But he svvam on, reached the other 

 bank and started to embrace her. „You man belong me," said the woman, ,.n"ore better you 

 give me time, me go inside house." She crept towards the house on all fours „like a turtle", 

 with the man on her back. .At length they came into the house, and as she went on creeping 

 round, they happened to kick the firebrands about with their feet and set the house on fire. „More 

 better you leave me. I woman belong you," said she. „Keep on. let him fire corne close to first, 

 N:o 1. 



