THE STORY OF RAGA
1) The story of Raga, about happenings at the beginning of everything.
2) The story of Raga. This is a story about the beginning of everything.
3) Tagoro is the God. Vingaga is an Angel. Vatangele is paradise. Bwatmahanga is a Holy Spirit.
(vui = spirit, sabuga = holy). Kalkaliana is Satan.
4) Tagaro has no mother. Bwatmahanga has no mother. Tagaro has many followers. Bwatmahanga has one
follower, Subwe. Tagaro made Maewo Island.Bwatmahanga made animals‚j and plants, He made Raga.
Tagaro stayed at Maewo. Bwatmahanga stayed at Anserehubwe in Raga.
5) The lands of two men rised above the sea. They have dried out. Tagaro loved Maewo very much as
his home. And Bwatmahanga loved Anserehubwe as his home.
CHAPTER 1
1) Tagaro made his canoe at Maewo. He killed a turtle. He scraped off its shell to make a hook for flying fish and other fish. He cut (a vine called)‚‚j gaovunga and twisted it with his hands. He tied his hook to it (as a fishing line). He tied a batoto and an ivua of his canoe with this vine‚ƒj. He cut (a tree called) garabihu to make his fishing rod. He thought that now he would be able to eat a flying fish. Then he pushed his canoe (and) paddled to the open sea to eat the flying fish.
2) Tagaro was in his canoe in the open sea and he saw a ripe banana skin of Bwatmahanga's floating on the surface of the sea. It came near his canoe. He took it up. He thought that it was good. He still kept checking the skin of that ripe banana. Then Bwatmahanga or Subwe, one of those two fellows drilled a hole in his coconut. The coconut water sprang out‚„j. The wind blew away this water to the open sea and a drop of the coconut water dropped on the hand of Tagaro. Therefore Tagaro licked the drop on his hand. Now it was sweet. But the wind blew as the south wind‚…j. He struggled to paddle to Raga but he was carried back to Maewo.
3) Tagaro called Bwatmahanga and said,gI have come but the wind is too strong. I am going back to Maewo. But I found the skin of your food floating and coming to me and found that your water which sprang out (from the coconut) was sweet. If you see that my canoe gets back to the beach of Maewo, would you throw across some of your food and your drink for me?" Bwatmahanga answered,gI see." Tagaro continued to paddle his canoe and came back to Maewo. He finished drawing his canoe to the shore. Then he said, g Come! Throw them to me." Tagaro straddled the cliff and held out his hands to Raga. He carried every plant into Maewo. Today we say that Tagaro got every kind of fruit into Maewo.
4) Then the sea was calm. Tagaro pushed his canoe out and paddled it to Raga‚†j. He went ashore at Avathubwe. He stayed with Bwatmahanga. Tagaro looked at all the things of Bwatmahanga. Tagaro was satisfied with them. Tagaro was listening and Bwatmahanga said,gTagaro, will you go back or shall we two sleep?" Tagaro answered Bwatmahanga,g What do you mean by ewe two sleep'?" Bwatmahanga said,g Wait. You will see it getting dark. We two shall not see everything that exists now. We two shall only sit close by but you will hear my words and I shall hear your words. But I shall not see you and you will not see me. Then we two sleep. Your eyes will shut and your thinking will cease. You will lie down like a stone.
5) Tagaro answered Bwatmahanga,gWait. Let's walk to make our monuments. It is noticeable that we two always lie down. My followers will come from Maewo but the place (here) will be too dark. They will not find me." Bwatmahanga said, gIt will be getting bright again." Tagaro said,gWe must be careful. I always lie down as a stone, do not I? Let's make our monuments first of all. It may be getting bright but I shall not stand up. But my followers will come and they will see the place made by my hands." Bwatmahanga answered Tagaro,gBut what shall we two make?" Tagaro said,gWe two will pile up our stones. I will pile up my stones so that my followers staying at Maewo may see the monument standing at Raga. You will pile up your stones so that the monument may become much higher than the sea level of the Rough Sea‚‡j of Maewo.
6) Bwatmahanga answered Tagaro,gNow, let's go up." They went up. Tagaro walked down the road and found Ngengeivari, a child of a giant clam, at Atalai. Bwatmahanga walked down the road and found Molvatuatano, a child of a button shell, at Gatavmwaroroa‚ˆj. Bwatmahanga was looking at something away from him but Tagaro (started to) build the Bemoruna. He had already made the foundation of the Bemoruna. Bwatmahanga walked quickly and began to make the foundation of the Beivala. But Tagaro had already built up the Bemoruna. Tagaro called Bwatmahanga and said,gIs yours finished, or not?" And Bwatmahanga said,gIt is half way now." Tagaro said,gSo is mine. (But) yours is really finished." Bwatmahanga stopped making it. (But) he found that the Bemoruna was higher than the Beivala. A trick of Tagaro.
CHAPTER 2
1) They two stayed at Anserehubwe. Then Bwatmahanga said to Tagaro,gYou said that we two worked
hard. It is becoming night. Let's sleep." Tagaro said,gOk." It became cold and the sun sank. Tagaro saw the place becoming dark. He took a leaf of the ti-tree and he wrapped the dark place under the beam. That ti-tree is even now called malingo(dark). Then they two slept until Tagaro heard the cocks crowing and the birds singing. He called Bwatmahanga and asked,gWhy do those things sing?" And Bwatmahanga said,gDay is dawning." Tagaro said,gIf it is so, shall we two take some of them for me?" Bwatmahanga said,gOK."
2) Then day broke. Tagaro said,gI made the sun. We two lay down through the night. I think that your night spoiled my sun because it is shining only over there. Today let's go to my land at Mwaeo. I will unpack my night then you will see whether the night will come on my land or not. If not, would you make the night for me?" But Bwatmahanga said,g Suppose we two go. Although you stay with your canoe,how will I come back ? But when you unpack your darkness, the night will come on.I shall stay at Raga but I shall see that the place at Maewo will become dark." Tagaro paddled back to Maewo (and) he reached it. Bwatmahanga watched but he could not
find an island. Maewo was in pitch-darkness.
3) Bwatmahanga made his canoe. The rope (with which he tied parts of the canoe) is (a vine called) unu. He knotted fibers of coconut husk one after another to make a fishing line. As a hook, he used a prickle of (a kind of pandanus called) gire. As a float, he used a piece of reed. The fish he wanted was a trevally‚‰j. Then he went to Maewo just after Tagaro. Tagaro saw him but he was still at the sea. He said to his followers, g Dig a hole in the men's house‚Šj and take out its earth so that I can hide in the hole. (Then) Bring two (flat) stones(called) bulbea. The stone on which I will sit shall be put so as to shut the mouth of the hole. The stone on which Bwatmahanga will sit shall be put just beside it. We two will sit on them.
(Then) set fire to the men's house. I will lead him so as to escape. I may burn. But I will lift up the bulbea and go down into the hole. Thus he will think that I am burnt.
4) Tagaro went down to the sea. They two drew the canoe of Bwatmahanga. Tagaro asked Bwatmahanga,
gDid you see my night when you stayed at Raga?" Bwatmahanga said,gYes, I saw it." Tagaro said, g My followers are just satisfied with the fact that they can sleep (because) in daytime the sun is heating them. Let's go up to the men's house. When I went to the people of Raga I obtained much knowledge of yours. Today you shall gain some knowledge of mine." They two went up to the men's house of Tagaro. They entered. Tagaro let Bwatmahanga sit down on one bulbea and Tagaro sat down on the other bulbea stopping up the hole which his followers had dug.Then Tagaro said to Bwatmahanga, gYou shall go outside. You shall bring fire and set fire to my men's house. In that case, the fire is stronger than everything. But I will not burn." Bwatmahanga went outside. He brought fire and set fire to the men's house. It burnt. Then Tagaro lifted up the bulbea stone on which he was sitting and went down into the hole. The men's house was burning. It caught fire. After that,Tagaro called Bwatmahanga and said, gI am still here. I do not burn."
5) Bwatmahanga thought that it was true! Tagaro said,gBrother, here now I know the way for more things than the first. The fire developed my knowledge. I will make more things again than we two have already made. Here now I will make persons as assistants of my ten followers whom I made and who are living as my servants. The fire told me to call the persons whom I will make women. For all that, you, chief Bwatmahanga, you are the leader only of Subwe. We two just found children of shellfish and the giant clam. But you overwork your one follower Subwe, who has difficulties feeding those children. (Therefore) it will take a long time until they grow big. Burnt in this way. And let's make so many people that they will fill from the surface of the ground to the top ends of Maewo land and Raga land. Bwatmahanga said, gOK."@Tagaro said to Bwatmahanga,gLet's go back to the people of Raga. You shall burn in your own men's house."
CHAPTER 3
1) Then Tagaro and Bwatmahanga drew their canoes to the sea and they two paddled to Raga. They two went up to Anserehubwe. Bwatmahanga believed all the words of Tagaro which were told to him at the dancing ground‚‹j in front of the burnt men's house at Maewo. Bwatmahanga said to Subwe and the children of the giant clam and button shell,gKeep away from the heat of the fire, or it will heat your bodies." Subwe said,gWhat is the heat of fire?" Then Bwatmahanga said,g Tagaro eats things cooked with his fire, although you and I eat only ripe bananas and drink coconut water."
2) Then Bwatmahanga said to Subwe,gTagaro caught all the things which I threw. He set fire to them in his men's house. He ate them with his ten followers." Tagaro called Subwe and said,g You eat ripe bananas all the time,so you are weak. If you eat cooked things, they will make your body stronger. I caught everything from you two which was thrown to Maewo. I set fire to them and my followers ate them. They made their bodies strong. I sent them to hold the hill which stood high over there at Maewo‚Œj.They are powerful owing to your things. Come! Bwatmahanga. I will burn you until you are cooked.
3) Tagaro called Bwatmahanga and Subwe, and said,gWe three have been chatting for a long time. Go up to the men's house. I will set fire to the men's house. You will burn, then you will clearly know the way of things like me. And let's make another island which will be located over there in the open sea where there is no island now. Let's name that island Tabae after everything which was thrown into my hand and which I caught(tabae) by straddling." Subwe said,gWhere is the fire, you two ?" Tagaro said, g Here is the fire." Bwatmahanga said,gOh! Tagaro! We two forgot to bring the fire which burnt the wood of your men's house at Maewo. You said,gHere is the fire", but it is not in your hand." Tagaro broke off one of his fingers, which began to burn. Fire was coming out from it.
4) Bwatmahanga entered the men's house. He sent away Subwe and two children, that is, the child of the giant clam and that of the button shell so that they might keep some distance(from the men's house).Tagaro stuck out his finger from the tip of which fire was coming. The men's house began to burn and it burnt briskly. Then Tagaro breathed upon the face of Subwe so that Subwe's knowledge, given by Bwatmahanga, would vanish from his head. Otherwise, Subwe would still share the knowledge with his chief Bwatmahanga, and he would become a chief after the death of Bwatmahanga. Bwatmahanga said,g Ouch! Ouch! Tagaro,you deceived me. I am going out."Tagaro shouldered his axe and blocked the door with the intention that if Bwatmahanga came out he would cut him down.Bwatmahanga shouted,gOuch!Ouch! Subwe,where are you?" But Tagaro had already blown away Subwe's knowledge. Bwatmahanga climbed up the central pillar with the intention of hanging onto the ridge pole then going through on to the utebwiribwiri‚j. But the fire had already gone round the men's house. In this way, he was burnt with the ridge pole‚Žj.
5) The children of the giant clam and button shell named this place Labwaru(= at a grave). Because the grave of Bwatmahanga which they dug is at Anserehubwe and he was burnt at the ridge pole of the men's house there.Thus he was dead owing to the jealousy of Tagaro.Tagaro was thinking that: only he would become the chief; people who would be born from the ground would know only one chief; they would think that only he made everything present; or people would also say that he really made them.
6) Tagaro called Subwe and said,gCome here, Subwe and two children, that is, a child of the giant clam and a child of the button shell." And he said to them,g Bwatmahanga who was burnt is lying down. His skin is not so strong as mine. I was burnt but my skin was so strong that I was able to escaping from the fire and live. It is really like this. I, Tagaro, I made Bwatmahanga, you Subwe,you two children, and all things in Raga Island and Maewo Island." But the meaning of Ambae isgto catch it"‚j. Tagaro said to those children,gObey my desire in all things." And he said to Subwe,gMake your house and sleep at (a place called) utebwiribwiri thinking of your chief Bwatmahanga who died at the ridge pole.
7) Then Tagaro said to Subwe,gI will tell (you)how to manage our food. Listen!" Subwe said,gOK." Tagaro told,gAs for yam, eat its mwasi and plant its longo. As for taro, like this. As for banana,like this. Eat their mwasi and plant only their longo. Then make your canoe by (a tree called) bugo. This tree is soft. Then feed a turtle as your own. But as for the pig, I will take it to Maewo with me. If you want it, come to Maewo to search for it.Tagaro taught the reverse of everything to Subwe‚j.
CHAPTER 4
1) Then the soul of Bwatmahanga went southward to paradise. Bwatmahanga stayed at Lavatangele‚‘j. Then he went to Bunlap, which is at the other side of the island. Then he looked for a place to wash away the mud and ash of the fire that was sticking to him. He went to the sea and he washed away the ash and the mud with hot water. Small pieces of the mud and ash floated on the sea. They became hard and turned into an island.
2) Then Bwatmahanga said,gOh my! My ash and my mud over there have formed my second island." He called that island Tabua (Ambrym). The first person from Tabua came and went up to Anhmba. He dug the surface of the cliff and made his cave. He went to the north. (Then) he went southward to (a beach called) vanu biribiri. He went up and he stayed at Labwatiaro‚’j. People of Tabua Island searched for the grave of Bwatmahanga because Bwatmahanga who was staying at Bunlap ordered his ash to rise from the sea and to become their island. This is why the fire,with which Bwatmahanga was burnt, exists at Tabua Island. As for Tagaro, he made the island of Tabae(Ambae).
3) Bwatmahanga stayed at Bunlap. There was a tree called mabwe‚“j bearing fruit. Seeing its fruit splitting open, he thought of the giant clam and button shell from which two people came out at Lagatavmwaroroa and at Atalai.At night when Bwatmahanga was sleeping, he heard the mabwe tree rustling as if it did so owing to the wind. He stood up and looked about him. But there was no wind. (Then) he looked at the tree and found that ten fruits of the mabwe were bigger than the others. Day broke. Ten children were crying, weighing down the branches of the mabwe tree. Then Bwatmahanga took the children and put them on the leaf of velvoha. He saw them and found that one was a woman and nine were men. Bwatmahanga called the land of South Raga Aroaro. The meaning of Aroaro is gto try again and again".That is, he will try to go to the north again and to stay at the place where Subwe dug.
4) Then Bwatmahanga, just as he had expected, found again all the descendants of the button shell who were staying everywhere from the shore of the Dead Sea‚”j up to Vanmatmat.At that place,a big@snake was imprisoning ten people in the cave in order to kill them. Because they, together with their father and mother,kicked to death a child of the snake when it was bathing at the beach of Wanuru. The name of this snake is Linglingtamate. This snake was killing those people by imprisoning. It blocked the mouth of the cave and wept for its child. Its tears fell down and became hard as stones, which blocked the mouth of the cave. Bwatmahanga pushed his finger through the door of the cave so that they could get outside the hole. They came out and called this hole Rugurugu of Wanuru. Bwatmahanga sent everyone to Tabua. They paddled together with the children of the button shell and the children of mabwe. They stayed at Tabua Island.
5) The snake Linglingtamate was staying from North Raga up to the middle of Surukavian. Children were sitting and eating food when it was getting dark in the evening. Their father and mother taught them the prayer to Linglingtamate about their food. The prayer is as follows: The child will say to Linglingtamate,g(A kind of lizard called) tarabote! Go up and say to Linglingtamate that I am sitting down to eat yam or taro and so on; think that otherwise, this child will die, because a sick man is sitting and eating food, but we say the same thing, that he is about to die." Like this. If they do not pray,Linglingtamate, looking at the children sitting down and eating food, will imprison them as he did to ten children with their father and mother at Wanuru.
CHAPTER 5
1) All the children of the button shell were staying at Vanmatmat of Wanuru at Vatangele. All the children of mabwe were staying at the Rough Sea. They were thinking deeply of Bwatmahanga. One day Bwatmahanga called all of them and said,g Walk together and come near me at Lavatangele. I want to ask you something." They came together. He asked them,gWill you agree to carry me and take me back to my grave and my beach where I was burnt? " Then they said, gYes. We hear you, our chief." Then Bwatmahanga said,g This is an important rule. Call me your mother." Then he broke (a kind of) ti tree varisangvulu and put it on as a back-ornament of the chief‚•j.
2) Bwatmahanga put the ornament on his lower back. He continued, saying,gYou who are staying here, I am about to go to the north again. But if you see varisangvulu which is attached to the man's lower back as mine, call those chiefs varisangvulu." At Aroaro today, people call the chief varisangvulu. They (children of button shell and mabwe) took a stem of (a tree called) bwangongo and pushed it between the four fingers of Bwatmahanga who was joining his hands together. They pushed the stem of the bwangongo in between the two forefingers and little fingers. They tied it with (a vine called) gaobwatima. And they took the road of guguhi‚–j and directly reached Natabwa. But all descendants of the giant clam were staying at Natabwa and Navinvini.
3) Then people of the giant clam heard the low, heavy sound of the Vwetu dance. They said,gWho is making a noise at guguhi?" All said,gCan you catch their words?" They listened and found that the language of those people was different from theirs. Then all said,gAll right! Let's take our fighting weapons. Let's kill them." And Vweu which is a kind of (bird named) Borogai, went on appearing slightly among the grass leaves. He led the way. He urged them on and said, gWalk quickly." Bwatmahaga and his followers there took their fighting weapons (but) they still kept speaking. Men from Natabwa came to Bwatmahanga earlier. One man raised a piece of wood from the rara tree‚—j at Bwatmahanga to kill him. Here, however, Subwe was not present.
4) Thus today we call two places at guguhi Tavalaleo and Vweu Nugele‚˜j. Then all the people of Bwatmahanga walked in a livey way toward his grave, where Tagaro had removed Subwe's thought. After the death of Bwatmahanga, when the men's house became ashes, Tagaro said to Ngengeivari, gLet's go down. You stay at the sea. I am about to go to take ten Tagaros and we are going to make a big canoe.We will fill it with stones and soil, and let it go down to the open sea. Then the canoe will sink and it will become an island. Let's call it Tabae Island, because my hand is painful from catching things of Subwe and his head,Bwatmahanga whom I burnt today."They two went down.Tagaro said to Ngengeivari,gStay at the slit of the stone and you will become famous at the beach." Ngengeivari said,gI see!" Then they two turned on their heads. Ngengeivari is the Rongvari Stone‚™j.
5) Then Bwatmahanga said to his follwers,gI am heavy but listen. If I tell you to put me down, then put me down." Then his all followers said,gAll right!" Then Bwatmahanga said,gGood." They walked on. But all the followers of Ngengeivari,(namely,) all the children of the giant clam
shell, said,gYou are going to the north shouldering him but where will you put him down?" Then
all the children of the button shell and mabwe answered,gAlthough we are shouldering him, we do not know it." In the mean time,they reached his grave. But as for Subwe, he had already made the opposite things;his canoe was made of the bugo tree;what he planted was the longo.They walked in a lively way toward the sea and they put Bwatmahanga on Ngengeivari(namely, Rongvari stone). He sat down with his back-ornament varisangvulu on.
6) Bwatmahanga said to all of his followers,gYou heard my saying to you that you shall shoulder me and you shall put me back at my grave and my beach. Here it is." Then they said,gWe see! Leo Mutai(Important Rule)!" They were still talking. All the people of Tabua paddled up with the slit-drum and the dance (called) bwata. Bwata means Bwatmahanga. They went up and they stayed at the point of the opposite beach to Vathubwe. Today we call the point Tabua Point‚šj.The thinking contained in the word Tabua is that Bwatmahanga owns(tabua) it as his own. Bwatmahanga sat on Ngengeivari. He split the rongvari stone. He sat down and split the rongvari stone to pieces.He asked Subwe,gAfter I was burnt,what did Tagaro do?" Subwe said, gHe carried the cinders of your men's house and the clod which I had dug up to Maewo, and he took some of its earth there. Then he paddled out with them and he made Tabae Island."
7) Bwatmahanga said,gIt that so!" Subwe said,gYes."Bwatmahanga said,gWhatever island Tagaro will make, I am there. I am as the fire." In this way, today the fire is in Manaro‚`j. Those islands Tagaro made are Merelava, Gaua and Vanualava, but there is a fire on the top of every island. The names which were given by them are Mera, which was given by Tagaro, and Atatu,given by Bwatmahanga. The meanings of the two names are as follows: Atatu means gafraid". Subwe was afraid of Tagaro. Mera means gto help each other". Tagaro hoped that they two would help each other again. So Tagaro called Bwatmahanga the head. They two made Vava Island. The people of Vava call Bwatmahanga Qat, who (in their legend) made Vava Island up to Torres and Merelava. In this way at Sa(or Aroaro) of Raga they call the festival Meran.
8) Vweu called people to Anaumu. He finished speaking to them then he pressed down one stone of Anaumu and divided it. He said,gYou, Nautilus, take some people and go down to Hurilau. You, (a vine called)Gaobwatima,take some people and go down to Aute. You, Stone, take some people and go down to Ahivo." Vweu went southward to Gihage. He went on and reached Intasnabul, where two seas joined together and divided the island into two parts. But Vweu disliked it. He said,gBe bright quickly." Day was dawning. The Rough Sea went back down and the Dead Sea went back down. (He did so) because Vweu sent people to fill up (the place) up to Gihage. Then Vweu called all the children of the giant clam, button shell, mabwe or the children of everything born from the ground. Then Vweu said,g Gather togather in one place beside me." And the people gathered together beside Vweu at Anaumu. Then Vweu said to the people,gAren't you angry? I will become more black than you. Listen to me. Help each other and get on well. People said,gAll right." Vweu said,gGood. I will give you the Dead Sea, which was of Tagaro and Bwatmahanga. Have the canoe of Tabua, (namely,)Nautilus. Go and paddle to the sea on it." Then Vweu said to some of the people,gThis is a piece of Ngengeivari which Bwatmahanga sat down on
and split. It was bound up (by the followers of Bwatmahanga) and brought to the north. Call this piece of stone Ahivo. You, the people at the opposite side of the hill of Anaumu, take the rara, the wood of Tagaro. Plant it inside the island and call it Arara. The stem of bwangongo was used to carry Bwatmahanga who was fastened to it with gaobwatima. Go up again taking such a stick of Bwatmahanga with you. You, who got angry at Nataba and Navinvini, I will pay a sow as your meat for a fine‚aj. Eat it at the place where you got angry." They went up and they threw the bigger part of the meat‚bj. We call this place Gaivuandura(bigger part of sow) or Bebwara kavi bwarabo.
9) Then the people said,gAll right, Vweu!" Vweu said, gGood." Then people honored him with the following song. In that song they draw their things which Vweu gave to them. gVweu, Vweu, chief, chief, we draw upward, we draw downward." Today Anaumu is a boundary of Alau, Aute and Ahivo. And those people of Aroaro call this place Loloviu after the name of Vweu. The name of Vweu is Lolo Vweu. Or (they call it Loloviu because) something inside of Vweu(lolon Vweu) gave peace to people.
NOTES
a)Ginau rahu(ginau = thing, rahu = to live). Animals are classified according to their way of moving. Pigs or dogs are classified as ginau lago(lago = to walk),birds as ginau gaga(gaga = to fly),fish as ginau rovo(rovo = to run) and snakes as ginau sirabwa(sirabwa = to creep) and so on(cf. Yoshioka 1983c).
b)A word or words in parentheses are supplied by me.
c)The canoe of North Raga is an outrigger canoe. An outrigger is called hama, yoke-pieces which
connect the outrigger with the hull are called ivua, and wooden pegs fixed to the outrigger which
are fastened to the yoke-pieces are called vatoto.
d)There are three gnavels" on the top of the coconut shell. When the softest navel among them is
drilled the coconut water will spring out. If somebody does so, people say,g Nu huhui man niu. (He drilled a hole in his coconut.)"
e)In North Raga it does not usually rain when the south wind (gauna) blows. Therefore gauna also
means gno rain".
f)If the sea is calm, pepole of North Raga sometimes go to Maewo by canoe even today. Those who now live in the southern part of Maewo are immigrants from North Raga.
g)The Rough Sea(Tahi Mauri) is the name of the sea on the eastern side of the island. It is always
rough because of the south-east wind.(See Photo 7)
h)A giant clam is said to be the ancestral creature of one of the moieties called Bule and a button
shell is said to be that of the other moiety called Tabi. Although these names, Bule and Tabi, are always used to refer to these moeities, an informant said that the proper name for Bule is Tagaro and that for Tabi, Malau. The other origin myth I collected (which is given in Appendix II) tells that these moieties have only one ancestral creature, that is, bwalavatu(a shellfish, see footnote 28) and that it came out at Gatavmwaroroa(gatav = gatavwa = door, mwa = it-neutral tense, roroa = famous), see Photo 2. It is very intersting that this story tells us the origin of not only Tabi and Bule but also Tagaro and Malau.
i)In traditional trevally fishing,they let a reed, at the end of which the fishing line is attached, float. When the trevally is caught by the hook, the reed moves down. Then they retrieve the fish.
j)Although women are generally prohibited from entering the men's house in North Raga, some women who perform the special rite called Harorolagamali(haroro = enter, la = at, gamali = men's house) can enter it. The men's houses are said to be owned by gchiefs". There are now four grades in the rank-taking system in North Raga. The lowest is Tari, second, Moli, third Livusi or Udu and the highest is Vira. The men who are in the grade Vira are called Ratahigi, meaninggchief".
k)The dancing ground called sara is usually made in front of the men's house. Various ceremonies and dances are performed at this ground.
l)This may mean that Tagaro let his followers make the hill(see the story of Tagaro of Rivers cited in the Introduction to this paper).
m)Utebwiribwiri is a place on the top of the roof. The roof is thatched with the leaves of sago-palm. Such leaves are put on the ridge. They are called ibwiri. Utebwiribwiri means the place( ute) of ibwiri.(See Photo 5)
n)After this, Father David wrote as follows;
We say that: your eyes are moving. Tagaro shoulders his axe and he cuts all persons without you and me three or four, you see (maimai).
Maimai is a children's game in North Raga, in which one child has to guess what another is imagining. Suppose there are two children,gA" and gB". gA" pictured a yam to himself. Then gB" tries to guess it. If he can not guess it, he says maimai. Then gA" says,g Tagaro shoulders his axe and he cuts all persons without you and me two, you see, yam."
o)In this story the origin of the word Ambae is thought to be Tabae, the meaning of which is gto catch it". This comes from the mythical fact that Tagaro did not make things by himself but caught them from Bwatmahanga.
p)Concerning food:People usually cut the upper end of the yam and plant it, if the yam is big and hard. Such a piece of yam is still eatable; they usually scoop out its inside; the scooped meat is called longgo; they make laplap pudding(longgo)from it; the remainder is called mwasi; this must be planted. Concerning canoes :Bugo(Pisonia umbellifera) is too soft and too heavy to be suitable for the wood of the canoe(see Gowers 1976:111);the wood extensively used for canoe making in Vanuatu is Calophylum Inophyllum(its local name in North Raga is bagura). The most prized domestic animal is of course not the turtle but the pig.
q)Place names in North Raga are basically prefixed by the prepositive la, a, or lol. Lavatanggele (Lavatangele)is the name of the place where the paradise(vatanggele) is. In North Raga it is said that after death, a man's soul is led by a pig which was killed at Tavtavigi(funeral ceremony) to Vatanggele and stays there.
r)After this, Father David wrote as follows;
But in 1957 when A.M.O. Philip told the people of Amwelgarabwa and Amangao to live in Abwatuntora, this rock did not exist. It was said that the height of the rock was a fathom and a half; its circumferance was three fathoms; on it there were two vovohe trees; and people used to shoot flying foxes on them. I searched for that rock at sea but it was not there. It might have rolled down,but Labwatiaro is a flat place. We do not know where it went. Tabua might change to Vathubwe because the place where Vathubwe exists is called Tabua Point. It might move here and there but I only know three beaches.
It is clear from the above passage that the first person from Tabua is regarded as a rock. The three beaches which Father David mentioned are Anhomba, Vanu viriviri and Avathubwe. At Avathubwe there is a big rock which is called vathubwe.(See Photo 3).
s)Tahitian Chestnut tree. See Gowers 1976:88-89.
t)The Dead Sea(Tahi Mate) is the sea on the western side of the island. It is always calm because
it is surrounded by Ambae, Pentecost, Santo, Malekula, and Ambrym.(See Photo 6).]
u)Many kinds of leaves are used for the emblem of status in the rank-taking sytem. These emblems should be purchased with boars. In North Raga, the use of varisangvulu (varisangvulu) is not restricted to ratahigi, men in the highest grade Vira. It is usually purchased when a man is in the second grade, Moli. However even chiefs willingly use the leaf of varisangvulu as an ornament when they dance or attend the Bolololi ceremony.(See footnote 45, i and Photo 9).
v)Guguhi is a name of a road which runs from Vatanggele to Avathubwe along the ridge of Raga(Pentecost) Island.
w)Indian Coral Tree. Its flower is orange-red. It flowers around August and September. In North Raga they say that when rara become red, they start to cut down wood in the garden to plant yam. Slash and burn cultivation begins with cutting down wood, followed by burning it. Then they dig the ground to soften it(this is called vutuvutu), and after that plant yam.
x)Vweu Nugele means gVweu hurried up."(nu = he-past tense, gele = to hurry up). I am not certain
about the meaning of Tavalaleo.
y)Rongvari Stone is a base on which Vathubwe stands.(See Photo 3).
z)See footnote r.
A)Manaro is a crater lake in Ambae Island.
B)It is usual to give a tusked boar or a red mat woven of pandanus for a fine. The tusked boar isnever used for food except when ceremonies are held where the tusked boar is killed. The sow is sometimes used for food in everyday life.
C)There is a custom in North Raga of throwing a piece of laplap puding in the direction of where the spirit of a deceased person is supposed to be, on the fifth day after his death.
APPENDIX I
Story of Vingaga(Rough Translation)
About ten women called vingaga(Angel) came down from heaven. They all had their wings. They all took off their wings and swam at Gilau, while a man called Tarigesembwe watched, behind a rock. He stole the wings of an angel. He went to Abongarigi with them. Then he went into the house and buried them under the pillar called beru. After swimming, nine of the angels put on their wings and went up to heaven but one angel was crying because she could not go back to heaven without her wings. Then Tarigesembwe came to her and said,gWhat's the matter with you? Where did you come from?" But she was still crying. He said,gCome!" and took her to Abongarigi. There they married. They had a child. One day when the child had defecated,Tarigesembwe stepped on the feces. He got angry. His wife wept in the shade of a pillar called beru. Her tears dropped on the place where her wings were buried. Then her wings came into sight. She found her wings and went back to heaven with her child while Tarigesembwe went to the garden. He came back and found that his wife and his child had gone. He fetched a leaf of a kind of banyan tree called vutugera. He took off its blade. He nipped its petiole with his fingers and said,gIf my wife is in the south, fly to the south." He threw it to the south, but it only fell down. Then he threw it to the north, that is to Gilau, but it did not fly. Then he threw it towards the sky, and it flew away. And the petiole connected heaven and earth. He climbed up to heaven with the help of the vutugera. In heaven there was a tavoa tree (Indian Almond). Every morning children used to remove its almond. Tarigesembwe climbed up this tree and he carved his face on its fruit and threw it down. His child found it and went back with it to his home in heaven. When his mother saw it she said,gThis is the face of your father." They went to meet Tarigesembwe. She found him and said,gCome down." He came down. She asked, gHow did you come up to heaven?" He answered,gUp the banyan tree." They went into the house. She cooked yam and he ate breakfast.She asked, gWill you go back down to earth?" He said,gYes." She said,gOK.Take your child." Tarigesembwe climbed down with his child with the help of the vutgera but before they reached earth, she cut the stem of the vutgera with a knife and they fell down to earth.
APPENDIX II
Story of the begining.
The tide went down. The tide went down and the island appeared at Gatav-mwaroroa. A shellfish was on the stone and it became rotten. It became man-like on the stone. He started to walk. He walked and came to (some place) but the place was still soft. He went back to the north. He went to the north and stayed (there) until dawn. He slept; then it became bright. He came back again but the place was still soft. He went back to the north. He did this over again and again. (One day) he walked along the road and came to Abawatuntora. There he found a sea snake. He went back to Gatavmaroroa. Next day, he came back and found a woman named Mumata(Mu is an affix to the name of a woman, mata is a sea snake). He said,gWhere did you come from ?" But the woman said,gI am living here. Where are you living?" The shellfish said,gI am living at Gatavmaroroa." He(the shellfish) said,gLet's go to my place." They two went and stayed there. They had one son and one daughter. These two children departed from their parents who stayed there. They two came to Abwatuntora again and they stayed there. They had one son and one daughter. They lived their life like this. They had (many)children. They stayed from the coast up to the place named Maririka. They stayed there. The children usually went down to the sea. (By the way) a snake was on a tree on the road and it said to its child,gGo down after them. And take a bathe in the sea." Because the child of the snake had many sores.The children usually went down to the sea at evening. They were making a miniature of a canoe at the sea. One day they took hold of the child of the snake. They put it in the miniature of a canoe and floated it. They came back, then the snake asked them,gWhere is my child?" But they said,gIt already went up." When the last group of the children came up, the snake asked them again. But they said,gIt already went up." The snake waited for its child until evening. It knew that its child had been killed by them. At night it went to their house and stayed at utebwiribwiri(the top of the roof). There it wept for its child. Its tears went down on the door and the tears became stiff. Next day they tried to open the door but it was too hard. They came to the ground oven and started to dig thier way out. They dug through and came out. They ran down to the sea. Some of them paddled the boat and went to the Rough Sea. Some of them paddled the canoe and came to the Dead Sea. They found people at the village there and asked them,gDid you see some of our party?" But they said,gNo." They paddled and went toward the north. They arrived at Gatavmwaroroa. But they could not find them. They landed and married people who had lived there first. One of the couples stayed at Abwatuntora. They had a daughter who gave birth to two girls. One of them stayed there but the other stayed at Abwatvai. Her(the latter's) name was Murevlavoa. She had four daughters whose names were Muterigi, Mubwiri, Muvao and Mugata. They gave birth to children. Muvao named her child Bule,Mubwiri named her child Malau, Muterigi named her child Tagaro and Mugata named her child Tabi.These women made vara( moieties, descent groups, families or lines).
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