THE DOBUANS OF S.E. PAPUA. 477 



(13) Naming the dead. Tlie dead may be named only when a 



mighty oath is taken, or by a sorcerer when all other 

 remedies to save a sick man from death have failed. This 

 seems to indicate some remains of ancestral worship. 



(14) Practising with toy spears would very often result in a 



fight with true spears. 



(15) Fish are often caught by being stupefied with a poison made 



from a root called Tua. If an outsider who had not used 

 the poison dived after the fish he would be attacked. 

 Hence, his friends would come to his help, and a fight 

 would immediately take place. 



(16) When women quarrel the men take httle notice, until one 



of the women is wounded with a stick or a stone; then 

 the men join, and a real fight ensues. 



(17) Sajring ''Your father is dead." This saying seems to cause 



a f evKl even more quickly than calling out " You are in 

 the habit of eating excrement." 



(18) A woman using filthy language to a man might thus make 



him angiy, and he might kill her. Her death would be 

 avenged and war result. 



(19) If a man used filthy langaiage to a woman she would tell 



her relatives, who would at once get out their spears and 

 rush to the man's village to avenge the insult. 



(20) The act of a child in spoiling property might bring down 



anger on the parents, resulting in a feud and loss of life. 



(21) A handsome young man who took all the women's hearts 



would most likely be slain, and his friends would try to 

 avenge his death. 



(22) Conjugal quaiTels frequently result in suicide by one of 



the parties. The surviving consort will be blamed by the 

 relatives of the deceased, and unless big payment be made 

 a lasting feud will lollow. A man has been known to pay 

 his wife (»ut by deliberately going unarmed to the enemy, 

 who slay him. As a consequence, there is first of all a 

 fight between the man's and the woman's relatives; and 

 then unitedly war will be made on the enemy. Sometimes 

 husband or wife will commit suicide by jumping from a 

 tree, or from a precipice, or by hanging. Men prefer 

 leaping from a high cocoanut tree so as to create a sen- 

 sation in a frequented place. 

 (2-3) Treacherous peace was sometimes made so as to afford 

 oppoi-tunity to take revenge. 



(24) A brave warrior not receiving his proper share of food and 



spoil would raise a feud. 



(25) The breaking of a tabu. Sometimes, for instance, a reef is 



made tabu, or sacred, on the death of a chief. This 

 means that no one must fish on or near the reef until 

 certain ceremonies are perfonned which release the tabu. 

 Thus, fishing on a reef which is under tabu causes war. 



(26) The talk of an old woman about one of the tribe having 



been slain long before would bring back old memories, and 

 away the warriors would go to raid on the tribe, which 

 had forgotten the old trouble. 



