The Folk-Tales of tlie Kiwai Papuans. 327 



kokéa\&a.\'ts. The people stared at the stränge adornment, hut in accordance with custf)m none 

 of them said anything, they only vvondered, „My God, what name (what is) that thing? Good 

 thing that, I thini< cteitgena (ef. Introduction to no. 102) been learn (teach) him that thing." At 

 dawn vvhen the dance ended, Piide vvent and planted one kokéa, strictly following the instructions 

 vvhich he had received. VVhen this was done, all the other koki'a of their own accord pulled 

 themselves up from the place where the\' were growing and went and planted themseUes within 

 the same fence. 



When Piide came back to his garden, he was surprised to find so many kokéa there. „Oh, 

 full up bushes (leaves) now," he called out, ..what name (how) he been come inside?" Rut he 

 did not teil the people anything. 



It was onls' when the kokéa were fuU-grown that he told his wife to come with him to 

 the garden. They began to dig up the roots, and the v\ öman exclatmed, „My God, good kaikai !" 

 Piide said, „Big one you put him along basket belong cook him, small one belong plant him." 

 On their return home the woman baked some kokéa in the earth-oven and asked the people to 

 come and eat. Everybody ate, and one after another exclaimed, „Uéi! good thing that! He soft 

 altogether, no fast along teeth. Taro, thafs no good, fast along mouth, this thing he sweet!" 

 Each of the men gave Piide some present, a pig, a bündle of arrows. an iguana-skin, or some 

 kind of game, and all of them wanted some kokéa for planting, and Piide distributed two, three, or even 

 four to each of them. But he did not teach the people how to take care of the kokéa, so when 

 the roots were full-grown, they consumed them all, and being again empty-handed had to ask 

 him for more. 



Nowadays the people know better. When they start puliing up the kokéa, the „master" 

 of the garden goes there first alone, digs up one of the roots with a simple bibiri stick (see above), 

 not an ordinary digging stick, chews a small pièce of the kokéa tegether with a certain other 

 plant. Some of this „medicine" he swallows and the rest he spits at the kokéa. Then he throws 

 the kokéa and the bibiri stick behind him, and the root is left to decay in the garden. This 

 causes such an abundant crop that the people cannot consume it all. (Nàmai, Mawata). 



THE FIRST BANANA. 



168. A man named Gimodöburo lived alone in Di'biri. He had no wife, and one day 

 he thought to himself, „No good I one man (alone) I stop, hard work, fiU him up vvater, carry 

 him firewood, roast him kaikai seif. Suppose I find him man he got two wife, he give me one, 

 he all right. Woman, he good thing, he cook kaikai." 



l'nderneath a small heap of earth there lived a certain female being in the shape of a 

 crayfish. One day when Gimodöburo was returning from his work, he happened to tread on the 

 tail of the crayfish which turned över under his foot and lay on its back. „What name (what 

 is) that he red like that?" Gimodöburo thought, „He got altogether leg, he got two hand, two 

 big hand, tail he got long, behind he got red thing he come out along tail. I never see thing 

 like that, just now I put him foot on top." And he went home, cooked his evening meal, and 

 ate it. In the night the spirit of the crayfish came to him and said, „What name (why) you all 



X:o 1. 



