The Folk-Taks of ilic Khvai Papuans. 349 



THE ORIGIN OF THE TURTLE CEREMONY (no. 283-284). 



The turtle ceremony or ni^6ri-i;<iino is performed at the beginning of Ihe nprth-west monsoon 

 when the turtle copulate. The main feature of the ceremony is a long plalform on which a row of 

 whole turtle-shells are placed, the one behind the other, and in front of them all there is a stone called 

 ddi. The platform is beautifully decorated and prepared with „medicines", and through a series of 

 magical rites the natives ensure success in spearing turtle. 



283. Once v\hen the Mawata people were fishing at Bige, vvest of Mäbudavåne, a man 

 saw some peculiar tliing approaching him in the water. At first he thought that it was a sting- 

 ray and speared it, hut on iooking at it more closely he exclaimed, „Oh that no sting-ray, that 

 nice stone he come, I been spear him all same fish!"*" There were in fact two stones, one above 

 the other like two copulating turtle, and they were called ådi. The man left the stones and went 

 home. But the next night he dreamt that the stones came to him and said, „What for you been 

 leave me two fellow? You put me along canoe, take me go along place, I give you good thing, 

 show you." 



In the morning the man went and picked up the two stones and brought them with him 

 to Päho Island. There he dreamt again that the stones said to him, „I show you good thing. 

 Fast turtle time (in the turtle-breeding season) you take one åiihi (a certain root), rub me along 

 that thing, you take him leaf belong åuhi, put him underneath me, that bed belong me. Some 

 leaf you take him along canoe, rub him canoe too." Then the man was told how to make the 

 platform on which the two stones and the shells of captured turtle should be placed, and how to 

 perform the ceremony itself. The stones also taught him to equip his canoe in the following 

 way. He was to fasten a pièce of a dog's penis to the bow and a pièce of its tail to the stern, 

 a claw of each fore-paw to the front attachment of the outriggers, and a claw of the hind-paws 

 tu the attachments abait. „That (is) proper medicine belong canoe," the narrator said, „dugong, 

 turtle he must come. All same dog, that canoe walk about, look round, look round, find 

 him. AU same me fellow no see him pig along bush, dog he see him he smell — that 

 canoe all same." 



All this was told the man by the ådi stones. In the morning he got up and brought the 

 stones to Mawåta. The turtle-breeding ceremony was held there for the first time, and the man 

 who had found the two stones became their guardian. His name is not known, hut after him 

 they were kept by his son whose name was ()dai, and the same office was then handed from 

 father to son down to the present generation, from 6dai to Kàwai, and then to Gandgi, Jabui, 

 Old Gabia, and Kàiri who is still alive. At the present time the ceremony is no longer performed. 

 (Nåmai, Mawåta). 



284. Long ago two Mawåta men named Wäugani and his brother Gabia were once 

 travelling westward along the coast. Wdugani was left on Märukära Island for a night while 

 Gabia went on to another place. On Mârukâra there lives a local being named Asai who appears 

 to certain people in dreams. In the night he came to Wäugani and told him of a certain place 

 where he had left a stone called ådi. Wäugani was to go and fetch the stone and build the 

 N:o 1. .' 



