324 Gunnar Landtman. 



THE FIRST YAM (no. 264—265). 



264. At Gäima there lived a woman named Tshikåro. She was akin to a spirit, for she 

 could make herself insensible and could withdraw into the ground when she wanted. At the same 

 place there lived a man named Wävuro. He had no wife, and one day he made a hole in the 

 ground and had connection with it. But in reaiity he had connection with Tshikäro who had 

 passed into the ground just beneath the surface. This was repeated every day for some time, 

 but Wåvuro did not know that there was a woman in the ground. After a time Tshikäro became 

 pregnant, and her father said, „Where you get him that thing, you no got no husband?" An 

 enclosure of mats was put round her bed and one day she brought forth a number of yams, but no 

 one knew what they were, for the people had not seen any before. One night Tshikäro's father 

 dreamt that a yam came to him and said, „Oh, Wåvuro make me, he kobôri (cohabits with) 

 mother. That name belong me wnâmu (the common name for yam). other kind he name eràvo, 

 other kind he name hiimoria,'' and it enumerated the différent kinds of yam, sixteen in all, and 

 then went on, ,1 (am) kaikai belong 3'OU, you keep me some time, behind (then) you plant me. 

 North-west time (the wet season) make me grow big, south-east time (the dry season) you kaikai, 

 you keep me tvvo moon, plant me again." 



On waking up the man thought, „Oh, he good dream to-night, I got good thing.» And 

 he washed all the yams in water and kept them some time without eating them. Then he planted 

 them, and they grew very large, and furnished the people with plenty of food. All the différent 

 yams have been brought from Gäima, people came from all quarters to get some for planting. 

 (Kaku, Ipisia). 



265. The first yams came into existence in this way. Two unmarried women in Dîbiri 

 named Gâvidi and Séruörobo were once complaining that they had no husband. „Every woman 

 got man, you me (we) no got no man," they said. They took some leaves of a kind of wild 

 yam called kûtae and swallowed them without chewing them, thereby becoming pregnant, and 

 the people thought that they had been „stolen" by some men. In the course of time Gâvidi 

 brought forth some yams of différent kinds which she named sido, köko, iivdihi, and öroniiitu, 

 and Séruörobo gave birth to some other kinds of yam which she called opiio, pärdko, miidi, pdto, 

 and initni. The people did not know anything of what had happened. Gâvidi and Séruörobo 

 eut down and burned the bush and cleared the ground for a garden, and after rubbing all the 

 roots with fluid from their vulvae they planted them in the ground. The yams started growing, 

 and the stems began to wind round the sticks which the women had put in the ground for 

 that purpose. 



One day an old woman happened to come to the garden which she had never seen 

 before, and she went and called all the people to come and look. They were all greatly surprised 

 at the large yams which were growing in the garden, and when they had returned home, Gâvidi 

 and Séruörobo told them how they had born the yams (abbrev). The Dfbiri people were very 

 glad, and fîrst one man said to Gâvidi, „Oh, that my woman," and then another said to Séruörobo, 

 „Oh, that my woman," and they married them. The people all planted yam gardens, and the 

 same „medicine" which was introduced by the two women is still used. (Gaméa, Mawäta). 



Tom. XLVII. 



