Ka’ubana’i

“Floating spirit of Nikiniki!

Duduba, Kirakira.” (These words are untranslatable).

“It ebbs, it ebbs away!

Thy fury ebbs, it ebbs away, O man of Dobu!

Thy war paint ebbs, it ebbs away, O man of Dobu!

Thy sting ebbs, it ebbs away, O man of Dobu!

Thy anger ebbs, it ebbs away, O man of Dobu!

Thy chasing away ebbs, it ebbs away, O man of Dobu!”

A long string of various expressings denoting hostile passions, disinclination to make Kula, and all the paraphernalia of war are here enumerated. Thus, such words as “Kula refusal,” “growling,” “sulking,” “dislike”; further: “weapon,” “bamboo knife,” “club-sword,” “large-barbed spear,” “small-barbed spear,” “round club,” “war blackening,” “red war paint,” are uttered one after the other. Moreover, all of them are repeated in their Dobuan equivalents after the list has been exhausted in Kiriwinian. When this series has been exhausted with reference to the man of Dobu, part of it is repeated with the addition “Woman of Dobu,” the mention of weapons, however, being omitted. But this does not end this extremely long formula. After the protracted litany has been finished, the reciter chants:

“Who emerges at the top of Kinana? I” (here the name of the reciter is mentioned) “emerge on the top of Kinana.”

Then the whole litany is again repeated, the key word, instead of, “it ebbs, it ebbs away” being “the dog sniffs.”

In connection with all the other words, this would run, more or less, in a free translation:—

“Thy fury, O man of Dobu, is as when the dog sniffs,” or, more explicitly:—

“Thy fury, O man of Dobu, should abate as the fury of a dog abates when it comes and sniffs at a new-comer.”

The simile of the dog must be very strongly ingrained in the magical tradition, for in two more versions of this formula, obtained from different informants, I received as key-words the expressions: “The dog plays about,” and “The dog is docile.” The final part of this formula is identical with that of the Kaykakaya spell previously given in this chapter:—

“No more it is my mother, my mother art thou, O woman of Dobu, etc.,” running into the ending “Recently deceased, etc.”

In comment on this formula, there is first of all the name mentioned in the first line, that of Nikiniki, or Monikiniki, as it is usually pronounced, with the prefix of masculinity, mo-. He is described as “A man, an ancient man; no myth about him; he spoke the magic.” Indeed, the main system of mwasila magic is named after him, but none of my informants knew any legend about him.

The first key word of the middle part is quite clear. It describes the ebbing away of the Dobuans’ passions and of their outward trappings. It is noteworthy that the word for ‘ebbing’ here used, is in the Dobuan, and not in the Kiriwinian language. The reference to the dog already explained may be still made clearer in terms of native comment. One explanation is simple:—

“They invoke the dog in the mwasila, because when master of dog comes, the dog stands up and licks; in the same way, the inclinations of the Dobu people.” Another explanation is more sophisticated: “The reason is that dogs play about nose to nose. Supposing we mentioned the word, as it was of old arranged, the valuables do the same. Supposing we had given away armshells, the necklace will come, they will meet.”

This means, by invoking the dog in this magic, according to old magical tradition, we also influence the Kula gifts. This explanation is undoubtedly far-fetched, and probably does not express the real meaning of the spell. It would have no meaning in association with the list of passions and weapons, but I have adduced it as an example of native scholasticism.

The dog is also a taboo associated with this magic. When a man, who practices the ka’ubana’i eats and a dog howls within his hearing, he has to leave his food, else his magic would ‘blunt.’

Safe under the auspices of this magic, the Trobriand sailors land on the beach of Tu’utauna, where we shall follow them in the next chapter.

1 Compare also No. VI (A), in the Synoptic Table of Kula magic, in Chapter XVII, p. 418. ↑

2 There can be no better expression to denote the mutual relation of all these ideas than that used by Frazer to describe one of the typical forms of magic thought, the ‘contagion of ideas.’ The subjective, psychological process leads the natives to the belief in magical contagion of things. ↑