662 



In a free translation: — "Tame my pigs, cause them to 

 keep still in consideration of your funeral feast pigs ! Make 

 the food (meat) to be soft to-day ! Do not be angry with me, 

 O spirit. Your mind is gentle!" 



Unfortunately I failed to inform myself as to the occa- 

 sions at which this U'ura was recited. It was, however, a 

 general pig charm, made whenever pigs were ill or difficult to 

 manage. Very likely it was recited, when pigs were brought to 

 feast. The references to the funeral feast of the spirits made 

 in this and in the preceding formula, do not mean necessarily 

 that the pigs were brought for the man's funeral feast. It 

 means merely that the spirit was reminded of his feast in 

 order to pay more attention to the U'ura. 



Again, when the men are sailing, and the sea is very 

 rough, a charm is uttered. A man stands up, and, taking 

 hold of the rigging with one hand and waving the billows down 

 with the other, utters the following incantation : — 



"Oid..., oici... (the terminal vowels being long drawn 

 out); lailaie..., lailaie ; dagana tara ai loeha avavai loela 

 kiavanai audamini hiraie oaiinoru morue moru bidaaie." 



This incantation is in the Bonahona language, and I was 

 not able to obtain a verbati?n translation. I was told, how- 

 ever, that it also includes an appeal to an ancestral spirit. The 

 incantation was recited to me in a rhythmic sing-song, the 

 rhythm coinciding with the movements of the hand, every- 

 thing expressing the calming, smoothing influence which the 

 spell was supposed to exercise upon the waves. 



When the men are sailing, and they are afraid of heavy 

 rain, they say, holding both hands close to the mouth, with 

 open palms and stretched fingers : — 



"Rigirigi ee... (terminal vowels long drawn); gareva 

 houhou ee...; ihina rima de' ua reva e...; guiva lamunama 

 de'ua reva e " 



Then they say Tfuu... (long drawn), and spread out the 

 arms to disperse the rain clouds. This incantation is also in 

 the Bonabona language, I was told by my informants that 

 the men between Gadaisiu and Bonabona, and thereabouts, 

 are also great wind and weather experts, as they are also 

 learned in sorcery, and also that the Mailu men never learn, 

 or purchase, these charms from them. All of these were, as 

 stated above, uttered with chewing and spitting of betel, 

 ginger root, and cinnamon. 



There are also some incantations against snake bite. Mr. 

 Greenaway knew a specialist at Dedele Point who used to 

 utter some spell over a stone and then throw it into the grass, 

 which was said to prevent snakes from biting. 



