. Acta Societatis Scientiarum Fennicae. Science. 196 Gunnar Landtman. taie of Wàwa and the bushman of Wdwa's lice becoming crabs. After saying this the man chews a little of a plant called mdnabàba and spits it out in front of himself, while some of the »tänababa is spät into an empty coconut-bowl vvhich he places on the ground just behind his heels. Turning round he puts his hand on the bowl („he take smell belong mdnabdba"), and then touches his forehead with the same hand; this is meant to sharpen his eyesight, so that'he may find the crabs quickly. The same process is repeated by the
. Acta Societatis Scientiarum Fennicae. Science. 196 Gunnar Landtman. taie of Wàwa and the bushman of Wdwa's lice becoming crabs. After saying this the man chews a little of a plant called mdnabàba and spits it out in front of himself, while some of the »tänababa is spät into an empty coconut-bowl vvhich he places on the ground just behind his heels. Turning round he puts his hand on the bowl („he take smell belong mdnabdba"), and then touches his forehead with the same hand; this is meant to sharpen his eyesight, so that'he may find the crabs quickly. The same process is repeated by the other people, after which the coconut-shell is left on the beach to be carried about by the tide, („smell he go all över, sing out (summon) that crab"). Wåwa has taught the people in a dream to do so, he also teaches them hovv to make their gardens. One man, Däbu, is considered to be a particular friend of Wäwa, who appears to him in dreams („that's why Däbu he got plenty garden"). Nowadays the people do not appeal to Wäwa as carefuUy as they used to, and this is the reason why they do not get so many crabs now as formerly. From Wâwa's house a path leads to a flat slab of rock on which he sharpens his stone axe, as can be seen from some oblong marks in the rock. The path always remains well worn although never used by any ordinary man. (Nåmai, Mawâta).. Marks in a rock wliere Wäwa sharpens his stone axe. 104. Wäwa has many times ap- peared at night to a man named Säibu. Once Wäwa summoned together all the snakes, centipedes, and small lizards, which appeared in three large flocks, and said to Säibu, „You look, all picka- ninny belong ; Another time Wäwa showed him a certain wood, and told him that if anybody chewed a pièce of it and spät it on any man, that man would die. He also gave him a human bone and bade him insert a small pièce of it in the bottom end of a fence-pole; this would protect the garden against pigs. Instead of
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectscience, bookyear1917
