612 



men, to the number of about ten, enter the water and spread 

 the dugong net. Other men drive the animal against the net, 

 and when it is entangled its head is held down in the water 

 until it is suffocated. 



On the return of the fishing party to the village the men 

 sing the following song, beating the time with the large floats 

 on the dugong net: — 



Pikana au ena ravine 

 (name) man his wife 

 Ila gorila kaikai ai kaikai an 

 food cook eat 

 Ena vavine ila gorila, etc. 

 This song was said to be in the Aroma language. 



4. Transport and Trading. 



Introductory Remarks. — Trading by land did not play a 

 great part in the economics of the Mailu district, for on the 

 Mailu mainland these people produced practically the same 

 articles in all their villages, and there was no occasion for 

 exchange between them. Moreover, communication was not 

 easy in the direction parallel to the Main Range, as any village 

 group would have to deal with hostile neighbours. Travelling 

 along the beach in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 

 of the continent, which is now regarded as the easiest way of 

 communication, was also impossible for lack of personal 

 security. There was, it seems, some trading done in the 

 transverse direction between the mainland Mnrfi and their 

 inland neighbours, but I was unable to discover that any really 

 important article was traded that way, and it seems also clear 

 that there was no trading route across the Main Range. I 

 was informed by Mr. Armit (Resident Magistrate at Ahau) 

 and by Mr. Higginson (Resident Magistrate at Samarai), who 

 know the Mailu hinterland well, that there is a long gap 

 between the Uddma (natives of the Mailu hinterland) and the 

 tribes living on the other side of the Main Range. 



Thus trading by land and transport on land do not play 

 any part in the affairs of the district. 



The Toulon islanders are the great trading community of 

 this part of the country, and they carry out their business by 

 sea. They possess well-proportioned sea-going canoes, pro- 

 vided with the well-known crab-claw sail, which form one 

 of the most picturesque features on the south coast of Papua. 

 I am told by sailing experts that the Mailu Oro'us (called by 

 the Motu Lugumi) are the best sea-going canoes in the terri- 

 tory. They are quite as fast and manageable as the Woodlark 

 cr.noe fVdga or Amuiuwa), and as they are able to sail close 

 to the wind trading expeditions in either direction are possible. 



