Tlie Folk-Talea of Ihc Kiwai Papuans. 485 



the bush where the mottier was making sago, and there it alighted in a sago-palm close to her. 

 The woinan thought, „Oh, that kind pigeon (bird) I no been see before, he nice good aitogether." 

 And the bird cried out in the tongue of the red parrot, „Wloivio, ro nâuduroro? — Mother, you 

 no can make out who me?" The vvoman threw a small pièce of sago at the bird and said, 

 „What name (hovv) that pigeon he sing out my name?" The bird flitted över to another tree, 

 stripped off its skin, resuming human shape, and said/" „Mother, you no can make me out, 

 who me? who been bom me? You been born me, other woman no been bom me. I leave you 

 now. That my name piro, red cockatoo. Every tree that my place. Coconut I go kaikai." „No 

 good you talk that fashion," the mother said, „you no go, more better you come down." „No, 

 I no can come down, too late now. That my place along tree. Before you no been look out 

 (after) me proper that time I stop alongside you. That my name piro, that my name iiiidia. that 

 my name körara. I go kaikai banana, coconut, humbug you fellow." 



And the red parrot flew away and alighted in a sago tree growing över a water-hole, 

 and there it saw its urio (reflection) in the water. A number of girls came to draw vvater, and 

 one ol them whose name was Gebäe noticed the reflection in the well and thought that the bird 

 was there in the water. So she jumped into the well to catch the parrot but had to come up 

 emptj^-handed.^" Another girl said, „What for you go along water? Him he there on top. The 

 bird flew down close to the girls and was caught by them. They thought that it was a real bird, 

 and Gebäe said jokingly, „That (is) man (husband) belong you me (us), me carry him, stow him 

 away." And she put him in her basket which she hung up in the house on reaching home. 

 The girls all slept in the night, and Gebâe's place was close to the bird. 



In the night the boy came down in his proper shape and awoke Gebâe. „Who there ?" 

 she cried. „That's me, piro. You been catch me, I stop along basket." Gebâe thought, „That 

 (is a) man, I been think that pigeon (bird)." The boy had connection with her and when it was 

 morning he returned into the basket. The next night he again slept with her, and Gebâe became 

 pregnant. Once some of the other girls said, „You look Gebâe, two âmo (nipples) belong him 

 too black, pickaninny he come I think." The\' ail found her out, and some of the women 

 „spoke strong" to her, whereas the rest remained silent. The news was brought to Gebâe's father 

 and mother, „Gebàe find him pickaninny." 



The parrot flew away and perched in a sago palm of the kind called gisûo. There he 

 stripped off the bird's skin which he put in a leaf-axil. 



Gebâe's father and mother were very angry on finding out that their daughler was with 

 child, and went with many other people to kill Ganùmi. They eut down the gisûo with their 

 stone ;ixes but the boy managed to swing himself on to another sago-tree called tnôa, and when 

 that tree too was felled he sprang on to a Sido-updru-iava, and thence to a woddre, ârodro, and 

 gduwdpe, which are ail sago-palms. Ganûmi who was hotly pursued saw Wiowi'o among the 

 people and called out to her, ^Wiowio, ro ma nddororo? — VVi'owio, what road I go? Close up 

 they kill me. Mother, where my iadder?" The woman tried to get hold of Ganümi in order to 

 hide him in her basket. She unfastened the string with which her grass petticoat was tied on, 

 and threw one end up to Ganümi, but it was too short. Then she did the same with his navel- 

 cord which she had preserved since his birth. Ganümi said, „That my name piro, mother, that 

 my name iinae (light), mother. that my name sop-^i;»/, that my name sa^aw^, that my name ^awa;«« v of^^^ 



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