661 



chewed and spat out. At times some manipulations were- 

 performed. 



It is very important to note that all the formulas include 

 an appeal to a spirit (Bo'i). I think that the natives never 

 knew, nor troubled themselves, as to what spirit it was exactly. 

 It was, however, always an ancestral spirit, and, as far as I 

 was able to gather, th€ spirit of some recently dead ancestor,, 

 such as the father or grandfather of the man reciting the spell. 



The spell (U'lira) recited when the natives go to catch_ 

 fish and get sago for a small feast, runs as follows : — 



"Bo'i Oo . . . utsi ehoeho tsihild'i 

 Spirit O ! Do good to me 



orebe vamd'i hilai oha vamai 



fish make catch me shell make catch 



bild'i ganalei'd'i dema odei 



me your dance because sago 



vamai bild'i gana oi'o odei dema."(^^ 



make me your mourning feast sago because 



Which, in a free translation, would run : — 



''O spirit ! Make me successful in fishing ! Make me 

 successful in getting shellfish ! Make me successful in making 

 sago, because of your mortuary feast." 



I was not able to ascertain in a conclusive manner whether 

 this U'lira would be recited only when setting out for fishing, 

 for making sago, for a feast, or on all occasions, but I should, 

 think the latter was the case. 



Again, a pig U'lira, was recited to me: — 

 "Bord'a dva mdraratsiba 



Pig two tame me 



■pitsoro da vatseiba gdna oi'o 



restless not make be you funeral feast 

 bord'i dema vau'i gonigoni 



pig because to-day gentle (soft) 

 tsiba itsitsi vatseiba bo'i dd 

 be food make be spirit not 



utsi oreore tsiba gdna undri 

 do evil me your mine 



gonini dem^a." 

 Gentle because. 



(85) I am indebted for this and for the following verbatim- 

 translations to the Rev. W. J. V, Saville. 



