Page:Picturesque New Guinea.djvu/330

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124
PICTURESQUE NEW GUINEA.

looking-glasses, and red cloth. They return with many tons of sago, which they dispose of to Tupuselei, Kaile, Kapakapa, Hula, and Kerepunu, these natives paying them in arm-shells, and other native articles. They keep very little for themselves. During the time they have it the whole settlement smells of nasty sour sago, as they like it best when it ferments, so keep it damped in large uros.

A list of the places they visit for sago may not be out of place—Oiapu, Lokea, Lese, Motumotu, Moneave, Karama, Namai, Silo, Pisi, Kerema, Keura, Vaidala, Ileran, Orokolo, Maipua, Ukerava, Kairiu, Keropenairu, Kaiburave.

The great trade on the coast and inland is pottery, the natives very seldom making a native oven like the Maories of New Zealand and South Pacific. On the east the most of the pottery is made on Teste Island and the islands of the Engineer Group, that is traded as far west as Orangerie Bay.

Their pottery is much finer than that west, but perhaps not so strong. Travelling west, we find the next pottery makers in Arona chiefly at the large village of Maopa. They supply as far east as Mailuikolu (Toulon Island), and send a little to Kerepunu on the west, but the great supply for Kerepunu and Hood Bay come from the Motu tribe. The Hula natives bring cocoa nuts to Pari, Port Moresby, Porebada, and Boera, and in exchange load up their canoes with earthenware of various kinds.

Pottery is made at the above-mentioned places, also at Manumanu in Redscar Bay, and Delena in Hall Island.

An article of very great value to the native is the ornamental toea or arm-shell. A few small ones are made on this part of the coast, but the best come from the east, as far away as the D'Entrecasteaux Group. They trade them for pottery, &c., to the Dauni natives, whilst the Dauni natives sell them again to Mailuikolu for sago, dogs, &c., and these to the Aroma natives for pigs, dogs, and canoes. The Aroma natives trade them to the Hood Bay, Kerepunu, Kalo, Hula, Papaka, and Kamari natives for birds' plumes of various kinds, and these again to the Motu natives for sago, and the Motuan to the Eelemaites for sago