586 



the beteliiut palms are tabooed along with the coconuts, as 

 has been already mentioned. As the groves of these two- 

 palms are usually contiguous, the same Gora spell serves for 

 both, its comprehensiveness being only expressed by the 

 attachment to the Gora sign of a piece of the areca palm. 



The y\eni f/6ra (betel, or areca nut taboo) is, however, 

 also used in another case. When the nut is deteriorating in^ 

 condition and becoming "soft like water," they try to improve 

 it by putting on a Gora on the tree. This they do by tying a 

 stick horizontally to the palm trunk and fastening some croton, 

 or palm leaves to the point of junction of stem and stick. 

 There is no spell, nor is there any taboo implied by the Gora^. 

 which is obviously merely a kind of curative charm. It is 

 simply a magical Gora, and has no legal significance. 



Quite similar in its essential is the fish Gora (Orihe gora ). 

 It is put up in the water over the reef, and consists of a 

 sapling with coconut leaves tied to it. This Gora is erected 

 upon the decision, or advice, of the old and experienced men 

 of the tribe. When fish become scarce in any particular place 

 on the reef or near it the old men, or the head men of the 

 clan owning rights (purely nominal) over the reef, decide to- 

 erect a Gora. on this spot, and fishing there is tabooed for so 

 long as the Gora is up. It stands for some three to four moons, 

 and when upon investigation it is found that fish are plentiful 

 again the fishing is resumed. The Gora would very probably 

 be put up during a season when, in any case, there would not 

 be much fishing done, as for instance in the seasons of busy 

 sailing and trading. This Gora, although it involves a taboo, 

 has evidently no legal aspect, and is merely a magical and 

 economic contrivance. There is a spell uttered when the 

 Orihe r/ora is erected, but I am not able to record it. 



There are some minor Goras attached to fruit trees, such 

 as the native mango (Boroa), a fruit tree called Gamela, and 

 several others. They consist of a piece of palm leaf wound 

 round the stem. They were said to be precautions against 

 boys climbing the trees and eating the fruit before it was half 

 ripe. The boys would be afraid to climb a Gora'ed tree. 



The men of Mailu Island make no sago palm GSras in 

 their sago swamps in Lea (see next chap., sec. 1); but when 

 the sago is not good, "like water," the mainland Mdrji erect 

 an Odei r/ora (sago Gora ) on the path leading through the 

 swamp. It is a pole with sago leaves bound to it. 



I was informed that such a Gora also constitutes a kind 

 of mark of proprietorship, but on the whole my information 

 on this point is defective. 



Besides the Gora there is another method of protecting 

 property by means of a magical sanction. It is done by means 



