607 



'Bxcited and keen interest with which the boys watched fish 

 moving in the sea. One evening, when I climbed to the top 

 of the Mailu hill with several natives, they were exclusively 

 interested in watching the fish which they could see with their 

 keen eyesight in the water, some 200 m. below where we 

 stood. When the women prepare for goin^ out at night with 

 torches, for the collecting of fish or shellfish, the excitement 

 is evident during the whole afternoon and evening, (^o) 



Except the collection of fnitti di mare, all the serious 

 fishing is done by men, who often go out alone, or in twos or 

 threes, with their fish spears (TJdi). This consists of a long 

 shaft and of a crown-shaped set of slightly barbed prongs, 

 forming a cone, which has its apex where the crown touches 

 the shaft, and spreading out towards the points. They 

 spear the fish, either from canoes or standing on the reef. 

 This form of fishing goes on all the year round, and it is 

 sometimes done by night with a flare. The real fishing season 

 is Tsilowo, at the change of the north-west into the south-east 

 season, and during the first months of the south-east trade 

 wind. At that time much of the fishing is done with nets. 



There are several kinds of nets, adapted to the size of the 

 fish and to the method of fishing. The smaller kinds are 

 called Om'i and the larger Gaiima. The former are made of 

 string (Tdkoi), which is made from thin fibres, twisted by the 

 palm on the thigh. The Gcnima are made of the native rope 

 (Wdro)^ which is prepared from the inner bark of the tree 

 of that name. This is twisted into a very rough cord, which 

 is wound round itself so as to form a very strong rope of double 

 the original thickness. Thick kinds of such ropes are used in 

 navigation, and a fairly thin sort for net making. 



The different sorts of small nets are named after the kind 

 of fish which is most frequently caught with them. Thus the 

 net having the smallest mesh and width is called Tdvifa ord'i, 

 after the small fish Tdvita. The floats (Uto) of this net are 

 cut out of a very light kind of wood ; they are not carved nor 

 decorated, and have the shape of bovril bottles. The sinkers 

 {Boi'd'u) are made of conical or spiral shells, which have been 

 worn down to small, flat discs by the action of the waves. 

 The length of the nets, which consist of separable sections, is 

 of course variable, and sometimes several of them are joined 

 together. The height of the Tdvita ord'i, when set in the water, 

 is about 40 cm. Slightly larger is the Lorowdtu ord'i, both 

 being named after the two kinds of fish most frequently caught 



(50) The great excitement shown by the women in Bartle Bay 

 whilst their fishing is in progress is described by the Rev. H, 

 Newton (op. cit., pp. 115, 116). 



