Tlie Folk-Tales of llie Kiwai Papuans. 357 



stumps of the tree. When that was done the people all vvent and hung the rest of the 

 food on the gdera, and they said, „Oh, no goöd you me (we) been send him that casssowary, 

 by-and-by he wild that time he come back. That man (the cassowary) he too much 

 strong, he kick." 



The gdera was . covered with all sorts of food and beautifully decorated, and the people 

 began to dance. In the meantime the cassowary had run half-way to Måo, and soon he was at 

 his journey's end. He said to Bubüa, „You come, wife belong you too, go along Wdsi." Rubüa 

 called his two wives and they all set off to Wåsi with the cassowary. „I old man," said Bubua 

 to the bird, „you no go quick." „.All right, I no go quick." 



The' people were dancing and singing a long sériai song which begins with telling of 

 Adiri, the abode of the dead. It was night, and many fires were burning. Meanwhile the casso- 

 wary with his companions was on his way back. „People he fool," the narrator interpolated, 

 „humbug that cassowary; what for he no been speak first time along wild fovvl!" The travelling 

 party spent the night at Måbudavdne. 



At dawn the singing and dancing ceased. The cérémonial ground with the gdera tree 

 was deserted except for an old man who was set to watch the tree, the rest of the men all 

 withdrew to hunt in the bush or catch fish. 



The casso\sary when approaching Wåsi saw the gdera tree from a distance. „Oh, gdera 

 there !" he exclaimed, „full up kaikai on top! All he been put him that kaikai finish, make dance." 

 And the bird became furious („throat belong him no good altogether"). He made for the gdera 

 tree, snatched up some fruit and roots which he swallo\yed and then kicked at the tree and 

 scaffold, so that the whole gdera feil to pièces. The old guardian called out, „Look there, casso- 

 wary he kick him altogether gdera/ You go sing out man, gdera he fall along water!" The 

 women and children tried to hold up Ihe gdera shouting, „Cassowary kick him gdera, he go now!" 

 They blew a trumpet-shell to .summon the people. The wild fowl flew up crying out, „Kiåu 

 keko kepoko ko-ko-ko-ko!"' and seized the same two yams which he had placed on the gdera tree 

 at the beginning. But all the rest feil into the water. 



There was a great commotion, and the people were all yelling at the top of their voices. 

 The gdera tree sank to the bottom in deep water, and when the men came home nothing was 

 to be seen of it. The people quarrelled as to whose fault it had been, and formed two parties, 

 that of the cassowary and that of the wild fowl, and they began to shoot at each other. When 

 the fight was över, they all parted in différent directions. 



The cassowary said, „I no want stop this place, I go walk about all över country. I no 

 make house. Suppose I stop one place, by-and-by you fellow send me go some place again 

 (as they had ju.st done). Every way I walk about, swamp place, dry place. I no want nobody, 

 I no want make friend, that's all one man (alone) I go walk about. Any fruit I kaikai, any 

 water I drink, along swamp, along creek. Raw fish too I kaikai, like cranky I walk about." Ever 

 since then the cassowary roams alone all oyer the country. It swallows fruit whole without 

 biting it so that the seeds grovv up from its droppings, and in this way the bird has spread many 

 plants all över the country. For this reason the people when planting yams and other roots put 

 a pièce of a cassowary's sinew underneath for a „medicine", for „cassowary been carry kaikai 

 along other place, plant him all över." 

 N:o 1. 



