the bogies known as Dorgai, and now the Christian (!) idea of devil and devils is being taught.
(1) The meat Tabepa destined for his parents-in-law was evidently intended as payment for his bride. (2) It was customary for a man to make a present to his parents-in-law on the birth of a first child, and I believe also for subsequent births. (3) In the western tribe it is usual for the girls to propose marriage to the men. After marriage the men entirely or partially live with their wife’s people, in this case the wife followed her spirit-husband. (4) The natives of Mabuiag and of many other islands do not eat the flesh of the porpoise; the only reason I could get was that it was too fat. There may be some superstitious reason which they were ashamed to acknowledge.
(1) Bivalved shells with sharp edges were the common cutting implements of the islanders before iron was introduced. Small objects are very frequently carried behind the ear; Mutuk carried his shell there, just as we carry knives in our pockets. (2) “Make him devil” is the jargon English for a funeral dance and ceremony; ‘devil’ in this case means mari or spirit. (3) The funeral ceremonies and those connected with the initiation of the lads were the most sacred functions in the lives of these savages; Mutuk had evidently committed the crime of rendering his own funeral ceremonies null and void, he was therefore executed for committing sacrilege. (4) This is the only instance I know of in which dead men were transformed into fruit-eating bats. (5) It is customary for men to decorate themselves with leaves, flowers, and so forth on special occasions, such as dances, and the return of Mutuk would be a fit occasion for such display. A bunch of leaves is inserted in the belt behind and in the armlets, possibly also in the hair and behind the ears; flowers are constantly worn in the hair. (6) This appears to be the regular method of distributing marriageable daughters, the eldest is given first and to the most distinguished man, or to the eldest brother of a family of young men, and so on downwards. (7) My informant called the plant ‘bua’ which he said was a kind of wild yam. I find that Macgilivray gives bua as the Muralug name for Calladium esculentum (Voyage of “Rattlesnake”), ii, p. 288). (8) Elephantiasis is not an uncommon disease in these parts.
This story calls for no special remark.
