The Folk-Tiiles of t/w Kiivai Papuans. 391 



Some time afterwards the Mavvåta people went to Sûmai where they were very well 

 received. In the night when nobody savv them the Sûmai men gave payment to those Mawata 

 warriors vvho had presented them vvith the heads after the fight. They did not want anybody to 

 knovv that they had not themselves captured the heads. They also gave payment to the Mawâta 

 party at large who had taken the initiative in the successful fight. In the end the Siimai people 

 returned the beheading-knife and head-carrier to Mi'pi saying, „Finish now, you fellow take back." 

 (Nåmai, Mawata). 



333. Two groups of people at Mawâta were quarrelling over a cocoout tree at Bârumûba. 

 One man was killed and his friends employed some Måsingära men to take revenge, and they 

 killed a man named Wddime. The dead body was placed under an iibe on inlpdri tree which 

 has edible fruit, and one branch of the tree was broken off to suggest the idea that he had fallen 

 down of his own accord. Wôdime's friends, however, found out from the tracks that it was 

 murder. A woman of Wcjdime's kin was married to a certain inan named Onéa, and she tried 

 continuously to incite him to take revenge. „All time I carry pickaninny, make garden, bring 

 water," she said to him, „next time you no ask me; what place I want I go self (she would 

 not obey his orders). You no been kill some bushman, pay back my brother." Onéa who was 

 ashamed once saw a bushman in the act of climbing down from a coconut tree and killed him 

 with the aid of a friend. They left the coconuts lying on the ground and also the rope which 

 is tied round the ankles to facilitate climbing. The bushmen came in search of their friend and 

 found him, but somehow concluding that it was murder they took revenge upon Onéa. One 

 day he shot a pig in the bush and summoned some bushmen to come and eut it up for him, 

 but they slew him and let it appear that he had been killed by the pig (ef. the story of Onéa's 

 adventure, no. 313). Onéa's widow, Kåvee bj' name, said to the Mavvåta men, „Who man go 

 pay back my husband — I go along that man." A certain man named Gabfa went and killed 

 LJbu vvho belonged to the same „blood" as Onéa's murderers, and Kåvee became his wife. 

 (Nämai, Mawâta). 



334. One day a certain great Mawâta man named Mipi and his wife Gomukéamu went 

 to their garden accompanied by Mi'pi's son Arüsa and his wife. The pigs had routed in Mipi's 

 garden, and Gdmukéamu said in the hearing of the others that the cause of this was that somebody had 

 had connection with his wife inside the fence, for pigs scent out such things and are attracted by 

 them. Arüsa thought that she meant him, for his wife was pregnant at the time. He felt ashamed 

 and returned home at once leaving his wife in the garden. On his arrivai in the village some 

 canoës were just about to leave for the reefs. A man named Magübi was occupied with mending 

 a steering board which had broken. He had dreamt that Arüsa was going to perish on that 

 expedition, so he told him his dream and asked him to remain at home. But Arüsa did not listen 

 to him, and joined the party in the canoe. They built three platforms at the Kdpoköpowi'o reef. 

 Two of the harpooners, Mirfa and Goboi by name, speared several dugong, but the animais 

 managed to escape every time, and the men began to suspect that something was wrong (abbrev.). 

 N:o 1. 



