DOBUAX BELIEFS AND FOLK-LORE. 415 



to him. To give her breath he poured blood over her head. He 

 causes women to conceive, and is thus the creator of man. 



Eahoaiiic II. — The other Eaboaine is called the god of the 

 thief, whom he watches only, but does not protect, as anyone caught 

 stealing food or property from one who is not a stranger or enemy 

 may be killed by the owner of the food or property without fear of 

 revenge being taken. 



Kekeivagei. — There was another god called Kekewagei, and it 

 was through disobedience to him that death came into the world. 

 Kekewagei used to walk about the earth, and though he was terrible 

 in appearance, no human being must show fear at his presence. 

 But there was a woman who had two children who b\^ their dis- 

 obedience brought death into the world after this manner : — 

 The woman went to the spring to fill her water-bottles, leaving her 

 children at home, with the instruction, " You remain here, while I 

 go to get water, and if your ancestor appear you must not be afraid 

 or call out." But Kekewagei appeared before them, and, being 

 afraid, they called out. Whereupon he said, " You were afraid of 

 me, and therefore screamed, so, as a consequence, you must die." 

 When the woman returned she asked her children whether they had 

 seen their ancestor, and they told her how that his appearance was 

 so terrible that they could not refrain from screaming, and that he 

 was angry. So their mother scolded them and said, " Did I not tell 

 you not to call out. You have disobeyed the order, and so death 

 will come upon us and our children." This is the reason why death 

 has come into the world. Had the children only obeyed, we would 

 all live for ever, and there never would be a famine. 



Spiritland. — The Dobuan's views about spiritland are very 

 clear. Man consists of body, shadow and spirit. The shadow has 

 a separate existence from the body and the spirit, and remains about 

 the house or place where the body dies. All spirits, except those of 

 men killed and eaten, go to Bwebweso, a hill which is almost bare of 

 trees, about twenty miles from Dobu, on Normanby Island. The 

 spirits of those killed and eaten rise up into the clouds and take up 

 their abode above the place where the tragedy occurred. They 

 come down occasionally to partake of fish, which they cook, ascend- 

 ing again in the smoke of the fire they make. The spirits of those 

 killed but not eaten have to delay their journey to Bwebweso until 

 some days have elapsed, so as to allow corruption of the body. 

 The smell of blood must not enter the land of spirits. The spirits of 

 all who die otherwise than by being slain proceed without delay to a 

 point at the south-east of Dobu, and thei"e, resting on a tree, await 

 the falling of a leaf. When the leaf falls the spirit alights on it and 

 is wafted across the sea to Normanby Island. Arriving safely on 

 the beach the spirits climb a tree and take a last farewell of Dobu, 

 weeping for friends left behind. It then wipes away all tears, and 

 proceeds to Bwebweso, where the spirits of its totem have been 

 warned of its approach by the dropping of a leaf from a particular 



