The Folk-Taks of tlie Khvai Papuans. 393 



From every quarter news came of Mawâta men and women being killed. Those Mavväta 

 peopie who were staying at Gi'dogâbo, Âumouro, Dogaâi, and Kura fled back to Mawåta proper. 

 Mfpi inclted all the bushmen against Mawåta, and when visiting them he used to bring his wife 

 with him. The woman lay down un the ground, and Mipi placed a beheading-knife on her body 

 saying, „You go pick him up liere (beheading knife) from wife belong me." The bushmen went 

 and took ihe knife and had connection with the woman at the same time. A task accepted in 

 that way is absolutely binding. 



By the same method Mipi raised the Pdråma peopie agalnst Mawåta. At Kåtatai the 

 peopie heard that the Pâràma men planned to kill any Mawåta visitors who would come to them, 

 and they brought the news to Türitüri. One day shortly afterv\ards some Mawåta canoës passed 

 Türitüri on their way eastward. One of the Mawåta men abused the Türitüri peopie on shore, 

 and as it was calm the latter heard him distinctly. They were angry and said among themselves, 

 „That news me been hear from Kåtatai, me shut him mouth. No good me learn (teach) them 

 fellow." One of the Mawåta canoës went to Påråma, and the rest to Kåtatai, and there a great 

 dance was held. 



The Mawåta peopie who had gone to Påråma were all killed except one man named 

 Dada who was saved by some friends of his in the village. Then the Påråma men went to 

 Kåtatai to kill the Mawåta peopie there. A fight ensued, the Påråma peopie shooting on one side 

 and the Kåtatai and Mawåta peopie on the other. After the fight the Mawåta peopie returned 

 home. The peopie condemned Dada for fleeing away and said, „No good that man come back 

 one man (alone), make friend belong some Påråma man." Dåda was afraid of his fellow villagers, 

 thinking that they would give him .,poison", and it was quite a long time before he dared to teil 

 them his adventure straight out. 



At Mawåta lived a Påråma boy named (Jsu, who was killed by the Mawåta party on 

 their return home. The same fäte some time afterwards awaited another Påråma man who think- 

 ing that the feud was forgotten came to Mawåta to see his sister who was married there. 

 After a time a number of Påråma men once visited Mawåta while another party of them went 

 to Türitüri. The Mawåta peopie killed their visitors and cutting off the finger of one of the dead 

 bodies went and showed it to the Türitüri peopie saying to them, „Me fellow been kill Påråma 

 man." .And the Påråma peopie at Türitüri were also killed. 



Gradually the whole plot was disclosed. The Togo men said, „From Mipi that talk, he 

 want me kill Mawåta man, me fellow no kill self." The same news came from Âripara and 

 Påråma. The truth now became clear, and Mipi was found to be at the bottom of all the trouble. 

 This caused some Mawåta men to ask the Dirimo peopie to kill Mfpi, and one day he was 

 poisoned by them at Türitüri and died there. Thus the chain of the events had turned back to 

 its source and stricken Mi'pi, the instigator. His body was brought home and buried. But the 

 revenge was not yet complète. The peopie killed Médei and Savia who were Arüsa's 

 children, and Wögori who was his sister, but they spared Arüra's wife, for she belonged to 

 another family. 



At last the feud was considered to be settled, but then Mogübi's family brought up the 

 trouble afresh. Mogübi had been killed by the Türitüri peopie, and therefore his kinsfolk wanted 

 to kill a Türitüri man. At that time the Türitüri peopie lived at .Säuri close to the Binatüri river 

 N:o 1. 50 



