326 Gunnar Landtman. 



(the bird which had „made" the taro), take some in his mouth, and blow it över his garden 

 from the windward side, or eise lie could sprinkle it with iiis hand. When digging up taro he 

 should eut off the tops and plant them again after rubbing them with the „medicine". 



On awakening in the morning the man carefully followed the instructions given him in 

 the dream. He planted a large garden, and all the taro in the country comes from his place. 

 His „medicine" is still used by the bushmen when planting taro. If more than one kind of 

 vegetable be planted in the same garden it is not necessary to give each of them its special 

 „medicine", for all plants benefit by the „medicine" applied to one of them. (Nämai, Mawäta). 



THE FIRST KOKEA (A kind of taro?). 



267. Long ago, while the Mawäta people still lived at OId Mawäta, they and the Kîwai, 

 Parâma, and Kunini people once came and attacked the Ware or Wåreämu people who lived at 

 Djimete. Many Ware people were killed and their bodies thrown on to the rubbish heap close to 

 the village, and the survivors ran away and settled dovvn at Si'piepùpu. The dead bodies on the 

 rubbish heap decayed, and from each of them a kokéa grew up. 



Once Püde, one of the leaders of Sipiepiipu village, came to the place where the people 

 had lived before. Walking about there he thought, „I been see one man fall down this place, 

 what name (vvhat is) that thing he come up?" He found a k-jkéa grovving in every place where 

 he had seen a dead body before, a red kokea for a vvoman and a white one for a man. On his 

 return home he did not teil the people what he had seen, for like all bushmen he thought, „That 

 thing I no been see before, by and by I dream something." 



And he was right, for one night the spirits of the people slain in the fight came to him 

 in a dream, and each of them had the root and leaves of a kokéa in place of his head which 

 had been eut off. Standing round Püde's bed they bent their mock heads forward until the gash 

 in the neck was seen, and fire spurted out there as it does with an ilttinm (spirit of a beheaded, 

 cf. no. 134). The apparitions did not say anything and after a vvhüe went away. 



In . the morning Püde got up and thought, „Oh, good thing I been see, all them fellow 

 been come, something stand up along head. What's the matter they no been talk nothing? 

 More better I go back same place." He thought that the spirits did not speak to him because 

 he had omitted to do something. So he returned to the place, and this time he touched the root 

 and leaves of each kokéa, and that was v\'hat he had omitted to do on the first occasion. 



The next night the spirits again put in an appearance. They caught hold of Püde, threw 

 him to and fro, and finally hurled him out through the door, continuing to toss him about 

 outside. All the other people were fast asleep. Just before daylight the spirits gave Püde a small 

 pièce of human flesh which he swallowed. They said, „Me fellow kokca, from body me fellow 

 come up. Along old place me stop. You make fence, you plant him me fellow inside fence. 

 First one kokéa you plant him — you chew him root belong me fellow and leaf belong hihiri 

 (a tree), spit him along me fellow, you loU him up that kokéa along leaf, put him along ground. 

 Next kokéa you plant him anyway." 



When Piide woke up in the morning he said to his people, ,,To-morrov\' you me (we) 

 make him big dance." The people donned all their ornaments, and Piide decorated himself with 



Tom. XLVU. 



