THE DOBUANS OF S.E. PAPUA. 475 



When a woman dies her bodily ornaments belong to her sisters' 

 children, and her other property to her o^^vn children. 



When I explained to a company of natives our laws of heredity, 

 &c., they laughed at our ideas, and said that while no doubt we could 

 teach them much, yet in these respects we could learn much from 

 them. 



TOTEM. 



In the 'Edugaula tribe the totem seems to be of little use. The 

 different branches of the tribe are distinguished by the names of the 

 birds : — PaiTot, dove, crow, eaglehawk. A man has at times saved his 

 life by naming his totem when he has been in a strange place. 

 Mairiages in the same totem are frequent, and friendly relationships 

 are established, but in war the totem is forgotten or deliberately put 

 aside. 



The totem bird is supposed to ciy when a person dies. The-bird 

 of the mother's totem is eaten, but that of the father's tribe is not. 

 But this can be accounted for by the fact that a child must eat nothing 

 from his father's village. 



WAR AND ITS CAUSES. 



The 'Edugaula tribe had the worst name in South-east Papua for 

 cannibalism, and were acknowledged to be the greatest warriors. 

 Theie were veiy few tribes with whom they had peaceful relations. 

 They were friendly with Bwaio, two miles away, on Fergusson Island, 

 and with Duau, thirty miles to the south, for trade pin-poses. They 

 were at peace with two other places because of tribal relationships, and 

 with two other tribes because they had conquered them, and had sent 

 I some of their people to live amongst them. 



They had intertribal fights — the slain being buried with ordinary 

 rites. They fought in their canoes, and they made so many raids on 

 the surrounding islands that the people were afraid to live on the sea 

 shore. Several I'easons were given by themselves and the other tribes 

 t J prove their pre-eminence in war. 



I. The 'Edugaula tribe had no need for fortifications around their 

 villages, or secret trap-holes with spears at the bottom in their paths, 

 as the enemy never dared to come to them to fight or take revenge. 

 The}^ met with losses only when on expeditions, or when solitary indi- 

 Mduals were caught away from home. On one occasion some tribes 

 came in canoes to attack the Dobuans, but they were seen and 

 attacked mth such sinking of craft and taking of prisoners that no one 

 ever tried again. 



II. In intertribal wai'fare they fought on a cleared space in the 

 open, catching the attacking spears most dexterously. 



III. They were taught to paddle their war canoes in one way — 

 bows on. The bow of a canoe was always dedicated to war, and the 

 stern to peace. Other tribes could paddle stern first or bows on at 

 will, but the Dobuans could only back water with their paddles in 

 bringing a canoe in steni first. They were thus taught not to jump 

 up and turn round to paddle away frotn the enemy, but to steer 

 straight for the opposing canoes. Canoes of any size were never 

 brouglit on to our beach bows first, as it would have meant war. 



