386 Gunnar Landtman. 



in vain, and Gabi mas' father started to wail. At last the people returned home, but Gabi'ma's 

 hiarpoon-handle and other things were left behind, for in accordance vvith custom nobody wanted 

 to take the belongings of a man who bad perished. A dugong speared by him was also left on 

 the reef. There was a great waiiing when the viilagers learnt af Gabimas's death. His mother 

 threw off her grass petticoat and sat by herself on the beach and wept, rocking har body to and 

 fro. It is an old custom that a woman whose child has died takes off her dress, wishing to 

 show thereby that the child has onginated from her hody. 



Once more some of the people went to the reef for a final search for Gabima, and at 

 low water a woman named Gâta found the large kunipi fish lying dead there. Its belly was 

 very large, and as the people ripped it open they found the decaying body of the man which 

 they wrapped up in a mat and brought home with the fish. There he was buried, and the fish 

 was burnt in the fire. Shortly afterwards the tdera ceremony (ef. Introduction to no. 287) was 

 held över the man as well as the others recently dead. (Sâibu, Mawäta). 



330. Three Mawäta men, Amüra, Isüa, and Mâmusa, once went to spear dugong and 

 turtle and were accompanied by Amiira's son Biza, and Isüa's son Sagéva. During the night 

 Amüra speared a dugong, and in the morning the men started to sail about looking for turtle. 

 After a while Mâmusa speared a turtle, and Amüra and Isüa hauled in the harpoon-line. When 

 they were near, they too plunged into the water and caught hold of the animal. But the two 

 boys who were left to take care of the canoe were not strong enough to paddle it against the 

 wind and drifted further and further away. The harpoon-head had come off the turtle. „Oh, 

 that turtle he go kill me," Amüra thought, „I no go back along my wife, I sorry wife and boy." 

 He could not speak but signalled to the others, „You stop, I swim along canoe." Mâmusa too 

 wanted to swim, but Isüa said, „Suppose you two leave him turtle, you get down." The men 

 held on to the fiippeis of the turtle preventing the animal from diving, and floated on it. Bfza, 

 Amüra's son, hauled the harpoon-line back to the canoe and called out, „I strong little bit, I take 

 end belong rope, come swim, give you fellow." He succeeded in swimming along, and the three 

 men caught hold of the rope and held on to the turtle as well. Biza swam back to the canoe 

 and shouted, „Father, you three man catch hold him strong that rope; suppose some man let go, 

 he lose." And Bfza started to haul in the rope alone, for Sagéva was too small to help him. 

 When the men were near they tethered the turtle with a rope round one of the flippers, and the 

 other end was tied to the mast. On reaching the canoe, the three men were obliged to rest on 

 the outrigger for a good while before they had strength to climb aboard. There they lay down 

 again to rest. Finally the turtle was hauled on board, and Isüa said, „Me no want go look turtle 

 no more, by-and-by lose altogether, that boy he no strong enough. You me (we) go home." 

 And they sailed home and told the people there of their adventure, „Close up me fellow lose." 

 (Amüra, Mawäta). 



331. Some Päräma men were once spearing dugong and turtle when they saw an enor- 

 mous sting-ray in the water, the body of which was as wide as the floor of a house and the 

 tail as thick as a post. The men thought that it was a turle, and one of them tried to harpoon 

 jt in the usual way, throwing hirnsçlf into the water at the same time. But the sting-ray lifted 



Tom. XL VII. 



