298 GUNNAK Landtman. 



asked him. „Oh, I beei take stick, fight him my woman one time," said he, „I no fight him 

 three time, four time." 



The woman could not be found. In the night the man dreamt that she came to him and 

 said, „You härd work go look round me other place. To-morrovv you go straight, that's tree 

 there, big tree, suppose you go, you lift him eye, me stop on top along tree." The man woke 

 up and wailed for the rest of the night until it was daylight. Then he took his bow and arrows 

 and went straight to the large tree, and there he found his wife. The people were summoncd and 

 broughl her down. The body emitted a toul smell, so they couki not carry her home, but buried 

 her on the spot. 



The woman had herself to blâme, said the narrator, for she had annoyed her husband, 

 and he had only Struck her once. (Nàtai, Ipisîa). 



236. Bôromobûro ot Mawâta once speared a large bâta fish and gave it to his wife 

 Bâburi who eut it up and baked it with sago. When the fish was ready, she went to swim, and 

 in her absence Bôromobûro took the fish and distributed it among the men. " Bâburi came back 

 and said, „Who been take ail my fish.'" and the people told her that it was Bôromobûro. The 

 woman did not say anything but was very angry. .She put some ii>itulie4v\ii\. in a basket, placed 

 a .string of dog's teeth on top of them and sent the basket with her little son Gâri'bu to her 

 family saying, „You go along my people. Suppose you hear noise (news) — that's me." Then 

 she took a rope and hanged herself on her verandah. There was a great commotion in the vil- 

 lage, when Gâri'bu gave the people his mother's message. The woman was taken down and buried. 



The fruit and string of dog's teeth were the last things she sent to her people; „all same 

 pay, that woman he pay dead (death) belong him," said the narrator. 



Since that incident it is a rule among the people that a husband shall not toucb any food 

 in case his wife says, „This kaikai belong me." If he does, she may be expected to act in the 

 same way as the woman in the story. When a husband begins a meal, he does not help him- 

 self to any food but expects his wife to hand him the same saying, „Kaikai belong you." (Amûra, 

 Mawâta). 



237. The Mawâta men once went to Kiwai to fetch sago, and a certain man remained 

 at home. His mother sent him to the beach every day to look and see vvhether the canoës were 

 not returning. One day the canoës were to be seen, and the people all cried, ,Pc'i rorögu Ku- 

 pciiHo tiiàburudo\ — Canoe all he come back from Kiwai (Kupâmo) now!" 



The boys and girls vvho were playing on the beach were very glad and called out, „Oh, 

 kaikai he come, father he been make sago for you me (us)!" Some of them said to the son of 

 the man who had remained at home, „What name (why) you glad? Father belong you he no 

 go. You no got no sago." The boy began to cry and went home to his mother. „What's the 

 matter you cry?" said she. „Some pickaninny speak along me, 'What name you glad for no- 

 thing? Father belong you he no go?'" „All right, true he speak, some pickaninny," said she, 

 „father belong you he no go, all time he think about my de (vulva), that's why he no go." And 

 she was very angry and thenceforth refused to fetch home food from the garden, or to go out 



Tom. XL VII. 



