The Folk-Taks of Ihe Kimai Papuans. 303 



Bûse's wives. Then she spöke to Buse, and he asked her, ,.You no been teil him all woman 

 there?" „Ves, 1 been teil him, all he no savy." Then Buse vvent himself to help ber saying, 

 „You catch hold him one tiee, you stand up, you born you (j'our) pickaninny." She did so and 

 bore her child in a standing position. The two vvashed the baby and returned home. 



After a time Buse began to pay attention to another vvife of his, but she swore at him 

 and said, „What's the matter you kobori (ha ve connection with) me? You kobori first woman, he 

 good !" Buse felt much offended and went home. There he fetched a rope, climbed a tree, and 

 hanged himself. He was found in the morning, and the people wondered, „What's the matter 

 Buse he hang himself.?" His first wife was blamed by the rest who said to her, „What's the 

 matter he been kobori you all time? Suppose he kobori me, he good." The people buried Buse, 

 and the women all v\ailed. „What's way (how) you me (we) go stop here?" they thought, „me 

 no got no man." So they left Tàti and went back to Tàtirûe which was their place. They told 

 the people there why they had come back (abbrev.), and all of them married at Tâtirùe. Since 

 that time no people live at Tàti; they all live at Tâtirùe. (Gibiima, Mawäta). 



248. A certain Kiwai man wanted to fetch home firewood and sent his first wife to ask 

 her father to lend him his canoe. The old man let him have his canoe, but the next morning the 

 man set off with his second wife in the canoe to eut firewood, and the first wife who did not 

 get up in time was left behind. After a while she woke up and thought to herself, „My God, 

 he sing out another woman go fetch firewood! By and by you come back, I kill you right up!" 

 She was very angry with the other woman. On seeing the two returning she !-:ept her heavy 

 digging stick in readiness, and as they landed, got up and without a word Struck the other woman 

 twice on her head and killed her. „Ch, he fight him other woman! He kill him — he dead 

 finish!" shouted the people. 



The husband of the dead woman felt ashamed, thinking to himself, „Plenty man he yarn 

 about." He went into the men's house, lighted a fire, and cooked some food by himself, without 

 taking part in the wailing, for he was determined to kill himselt. The dead woman was taken 

 care of b}' her people. When the man had finished his meal, he went and hanged himself in a 

 tree. He did not want to li\e, for his dead wife was a beautiful woman, and he thought to 

 himself, „All right, you (the other woman) stop; me two fellow go together." His body was 

 discovered and taken down, and the people lamented, and some of them even Struck themselves 

 in their sorrow. The man was buried in the same grave as his dead wife. The next day the people 

 of the dead woman received payment from the people of the murderess. The latter also gave 

 paym.ent to the people of the man who had committed suicide. In another version by the same 

 narrator it says that the family of the dead woman also took part in the payment of his death. 

 (Käku, Ipisia). 



249. A certain man at läsa used to cohabit with his one wife only, neglecting his other 

 wife all the time. One day he asked the latter, whether she had any sago, and when she 

 answered that her supply was finished, he told a certain boy to go and eut down a sago tree for 

 her on the morrow. The woman was very angry with her husband for not coming with 

 her himself. 



N:o 1. 



