472 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 



The men clear the laud for cultivation, and dig the ground for 

 jani-planting. The women tlieii plant the seed, and "weed the garden. 

 As the seed sprouts the men fix tlue poles for the vines to climb upon. 

 The women harvest, store, and look after the supplies. Men are not 

 supposed to take a yam from the storehouse, even if hungiy, without 

 the consent of tlie women. The men have full charge of tlie banana 

 plantations. It is a sign of great affection to see a man and his wife 

 working together in all things. 



The men fish with nets, tlie kite, or hooks — tlie women's duty is 

 t'j procure shell-fish. 



The men make sago and do most of the work in the preparation 

 of special puddings. The women prepare the ordinary meal by boiling, 

 the men being allowed to roast yams or bananas. The women sweep 

 the villages and paths. The men do all the house building, except 

 thatching — which is the women's work, and merely means that the 

 women thread the doubled sago leaf througii the close-fitting reeds 

 prepared by the men and tied on to the rafters. When the leaf is 

 sewn on the reeds before they are tied on to the roof the men do the 

 whole. It falls to the lot of the men to cany on war (though the 

 women used often to fight amongst tliemselves), to make canoes, and 

 lead in all trade expeditions. » 



In the last stages of the making of a war-canoe the women were 

 not allowed even to go into the shed where the work was approaching 

 completion. 



In some special cases the men Avould put a special tabu on a 

 coLoa-nut, an areca-nut, or otlier tree, making it sacred from woman's 

 touch. 



Women joined in cannibal feasts — the watches having feasts of 

 their own at times with bodies stolen from the graves. 



There are some very strong-minded women in the tribes on Dobu. 

 One woman of my acquaintance went about like the men on trading 

 expeditions, carried a chief's lime-gourd and spatula, and on one occa- 

 sion in intertribal warfare rushed to the help of her men-follc who 

 were being worsted and helped tliem to drive back the enemy. 



The highest attribute ascribed to a woman is that of being 

 •■ arawata," which means that she is a good gardener, and strong in 

 caring for the food supplies. To be the possessor of a large supply of 

 good yams in the storehouse, when the new crop is growing, is the best 

 sigii of character. 



As mother-in-law woman is almost supreme. A man must always 

 pay due respect to all his married relatives, but he must be especially 

 considerate of his mother-in-law. On betrothal the young man must 

 begin to make presents to his betrothecl's mother, and continue the 

 gifts to the end of the chapter. The best fish caught, the finest bunch 

 of bananas grown, the most costly native wealth must go to the 

 mother-in-law. Marriage is almost exclusively arranged by the women, 

 and divorce is in nearly every case caused by the mothers-in-law. 



Whenever a native utters an exclamation of pain, the cry is 

 nearly always accompanied by the words " Sinagu ! Sinagu ! " ('" My 

 mother ! My mother ! ") So expressing delight he will say, " To do 

 so-and-so is my mother!" 



