The Folk-Taks of the Kiivai Papuans. 321 



what he had seen, he unly wondered about the thing himself. The coconut trees of their own accord 

 grew up in separate groves, the number of which matched that of Dagi's children, and after a 

 lime the village was encircled by these groves. 



One day Niie said to his father, „You me (vve) drink gnmoda, to-morrovv yoii me take 

 dog, go along bush. You me go two man, leave him altogether brother along place." The next day 

 at davvn they called their dögs and set out to hunt in the bush. After they had killed a pig 

 they came to the coconut groves. Nüe did not teil his father at once what he knew of the 

 coconuts, but merely asked him, „Father, what name (what is) that tree?" Ddgi, also keeping 

 his thoughts to himself, said, „I no savy what name." Then Niie said, „That pigeon he been sing 

 out my name, I plant him. He come grow, I plant him dry fruit again." Dâgi told the boy to 

 tie a string round his ankles and sent him to knock down some nuls from the tree which had 

 been planted first. They drank the milk, and opened some nuls which gave a hoUow sound and 

 ate the creamy kernel. Their dogs were begging for some and whined, „Na, nn, na,'' and Niie 

 gave each of them a little. When the dogs had eaten it they feil down dead, and so did Dâgi, ^^ 

 but he was only „gammon dead" and expected to learn something about coconuts in a dream. 

 Nüe placed his father and the dogs side by side, covered them with a coconut-leaf and went 

 home, and when he was asked where his father and the dogs were he only answered, „I don't 

 know where he been go." 



Dâgi dreamt that the coconut came and said to him, „Me belong kaikai, me coconut, I 

 no poison, you kaikai," and the différent kinds gave their names, âmetâme, sâri, ôbeobe, 

 and others. 



In the morning the dogs woke up and began to howl, „Uuu-t!" waking up Dâgi. Till 

 then the dogs had possessed the faculty of speech but it was now lost. Nüe heard their howl 

 and thought, „Oh, that dog he sing out, another yarn (cry) come out now, proper yarn he lose." 

 It is since that time too that dogs ha\e ceased to obey their masters, and steal their food. The 

 dogs ran home in front of Dâgi and leaped up at Nüe, but they could not speak and only 

 expressed themselves by whining. 



Nüe prepared oil from a coconut with which he smeared his long hair, up to that time 

 the people had for that purpose only used the oil of a small fruit called unie or kilmai. The sun 

 was verj' hot, and as the oil flowed ail over Nüe's body the people wondered, „Oh, what name 

 (what is) that good grease he got.' VVhat's the matter all over you (your) body grease he go.'" 

 But Nüe (inly answered, „Oh, father been plant him that proper âme, that full up grease. Wild 

 one you take him, that's why no plenty grease." 



The next day Nüe told the people to make baskets and coconut- huskers and go with him to 

 the bush, and' they ail went to the first coconut tree. Everybody wondered, „Dâgi, Nüe, what 

 name (what is) that tree?" and Nüe told them his story (abbrev). He distributed the coconuts 

 among the différent totemic groups. Two men named Wée and Dobâsi were avvay fishing and 

 did not get any. 



AU the people were now busily collecting coconuts of ail kinds, some for drinking and 

 others for eating, making oil, or planting. On smearing their hair with the oil they said, „That's 

 thing Nüe proper stow avvay (kept secret) before, make him good grease, go ail over body.' 

 Two men named Orne and Bügere had not made proper coconut-huskers, but used ordinary 

 N:o 1. 41 



