The Folk-Tales of t he Kiivai Papnans. 487 



but the basin evaded them and floated so far away that they could not reach it. There was a 

 girl named Gebde who had born a child although she was not properly married, and her baby 

 was troubled with bad sores. When Gfbâe went to wash her child the basin came floating to 

 her, and seeing Ganümi who was a fine boy she picked him up and placed her own 

 child in the basin, and shortly afterwards it was drowned. Ganümi grew up and passed for 

 Gebâe's son. 



Once after seeing two girls with their petticoats in disorder Ganümi, who was still a 

 little boy, began to weep and cry out, „Mdu, rno käka! — Mother, I want that red thing." The 

 girls not knowing what he meant brought him all sorts of red flowers and fruit, but he did not 

 want them, and at last it was found out what he was crying for. ^* 



Ganümi was put to sleep between the two girls at night, but he was too small to hâve 

 anything to do with them. In the morning the girls, who were regarded as his wives, went 

 with him to make sago, but he was not strong enough to cul down a sago-palm for them. Then 

 the two girls, who had had enough of him, flung him up into the sago-tree and left him there. 

 They trampled the soft ground so as to make it look as if a number of people had been there, 

 and they threw away their petticoats and scratched themselves so that blood ran. On returning 

 home they made the people believe that the}- had been attacKed by enemies and that Ganümi 

 was killed. 



During his stay in the sago-tree Ganümi became white from the „milk" of the sago. 

 Once a redfeathered bird named wiowio alighted above him, and its droppings which feil on to 

 him caused feathers to grow on his body, so he became a iviowlo bird. Under the tree there was 

 a well, and one day some girls came to draw water, and one of them saw the bird's reflection 

 in the water. In order to prevent the others from seeing him she stirred up the well so that 

 the water became muddy. Then she claimed Ganümi for herself, but the girls and women ail 

 began to fight among themselves as to who should hâve him. A long pole was propped up 

 against the tree, and one vvoman after another climbed up to fetch down Ganümi by handing 

 him the end of her skirt-cords, but he only yielded to Gebâe. AU the women and girls coveted 

 Gamimi and he slept with all of them in the night. Gebäe by a ruse got him to sleep with her 

 too, although he was horrified at the idea of sleeping with his mother, and to his mortification 

 they had been seen by some people. The next night none of the other girls and women wanted 

 Ganümi any more. To get away from the people Ganümi jumped into the water and remained 

 there a month with the öbotibi (mythical water-beings, ef.' no. 132). Then he returned home, but 

 still none of the women wanted him, and they told him to go to his mother. One night he and 

 Gebäe ran away into the bush. They went up to heaven by means of Ganümi's navel-cord and 

 were received by two men, Güruru (thunder) and Mahéruo (lightning). Once while they were in 

 heaxen they wanted to go and make sago in the bush there, and Güruru and Mahéruo warned 

 them not to go near the sun, for „that thing he come, very hot, that's fira, he kill man." While 

 they were cooking the sago Gebäe threw away some of the crust, and it stuck to Ganümi's face 

 which since then is white except where Gebâe's finger-marks are. Ganümi»lett the others and 

 mounted higher still in the sky. When he comes out of his house the uppermost part of his 

 forehead can be seen first and then gradually the whole face. This is the explanation of the 

 différent quarters of the moon. Ganümi's body is hidden behind his head. (Menégi, Mawäta). 

 N:o 1. 



