EOTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE SKY. 265 



tree: she is what we call Kiira Jtoku-moku [lit. stars little, i. e. the Pleiades]. 

 Beliind her is Nohi-abassi himself [tlie Hyades], and farther back is his cut-off leg 

 [Orion's Belt]. 



211. Brett's account (BrB, I'Jl) Ls of interest in comiiarison with 

 the Warrau story, and I accordingly adapt it here from the metrical 

 version. Before doing so, however, I can but express the proba- 

 bility that the idea of making Aldebaran (the Bull's-eye in our con- 

 stellation Taurus) the organ of vision for the Tapir — making, in fact, 

 the Tapir t-orrespond witli tiie Bull — is the result of contact witli 

 African or European influences. Brett calls the myth the Legend of 

 Sirikoai, and fi-om internal evidence (cf. Sect. 38) I am inclined to 

 think that he must have received it from ("arib sources. Sirikio is 

 the C'arib name for a star, Wailya for a watchman, and Wawa (cf. 

 Wawaiya) for a sister or a ^vife : on the other hand, Sahtai is the Akawai 

 name for an ax. 



The T-EGExi) of Serikoai 



Wawaiya, the lately-made bride <if Serikoai. was <ine day off to lier cassava field, 

 when she metaTapir. lie s;iid hi.s name was Wailya, tliat he liked her, and for the 

 same reason had assiimeil that form so as to have the chance of coniini; near lier. He 

 came the next day, and the next, and every day while Wawaiya was on lier way to 

 the field, and she became fonder and fonder of him. lie finally tempted her, and 

 pnimised her that if she followed hun to the eastward, until earth and sky met, he 

 would resume his human shape and take her to wife. But she refused. So he 

 charmed her ax. and assured her that if she did what he told her to do, she would be 

 safe with him. Soon after, Serikoai asked Wawaiya to come with him and gather 

 avocado pears [Pcrsea (fralusima], which were now ripe, so that while he climbed 

 the trees, she might collect firewood. She did so, and wliile her husband was up a 

 tree, she went to grind her ax, but every time it touched the stone it called out, "I 

 must cut. I nuL't wound!" [Sahtai!]. She a.sked her husband whether he could 

 hear it talking, and he .said, "Yes;" that it always spoke like that when being.sharpened 

 there, but she must not worry over it, Howe\er, while Serikoai was descending 

 the tree she cut his leg clear through and took to flight. Though exhausted by loss 

 of blood, Serikoai plucked an eyelash, and blew it into the air, where it became a 

 beautiful little bird, which he told to fly away to his mother's place and call his 

 name. \Mien the latter heard her son's name, she did not know what the bird meant, 

 and so sent the bird back again t.o find out. On its return, .she immediately rushed 

 off and nursed her son so tenderly that he recovered of his wound. Serikoai now 

 managed to walk about with a crutch, and took up the search to find liis wife, but 

 all traces of Wawaiya had then disappeared, what with the lapse of time and the 

 heavy rains. Nothing daim ted, however, he traveled on and on, until at last he 

 discovered a sprout of avocado pear. -V little farther on he saw another, which 

 revived his hope of finding her, because he now knew that she who had taken the 

 pears must have eaten them on the road, and cast the seeds by the wayside. Traveling 

 on and on, always to the eastward, he saw at la.st Wawaiya's and Wailya's footprints, 

 and a little farther on saw them conversing right ahead of him He thereupon shot 

 the Tapir and, cutting off its head, implored his wiie to retiuTi, sajdng that if she 

 refused he would follow Iter forever. She did refuse, however, and hurried on with 

 her lover's spirit still after her, and her husband behind them both. Still rushing 

 headlong, the husband reached the earth's steep edge, where Wawaiya threw herself 

 into the deep blue sky. If you watch on a clear night, you can still see Wawaiya 



