Note 27 — Chapter IV · MYTHS AND LEGENDS

A more complete version of this story was obtained from the Akar-Bale tribe. “Da Tigbul (Sir Dugong) took all the people to dance at Kwaičo. In Bain (Lady Civet-cat) told Da Kwo̱ko̱l (Sir Tree-lizard) that people were coming from Tar-mugu to dance and that Da Karami27 would quarrel with him. Da Kwo̱ko̱l replied ‘Oh! I don’t care. I can fight all those people easily enough.’ All the people came together for the dance and Karami quarrelled with Kwo̱ko̱l. The latter got very angry. The people were afraid. Tigbul (Dugong) caught hold of Kwo̱ko̱l by the arm. Kwo̱ko̱l threw him from him with such force that Tigbul fell into the sea and became a dugong. Then Kočurag-boa caught hold of Kwo̱ko̱l and Kwo̱ko̱l threw him into the jungle28. Kwo̱ko̱l threw all the people into the sea or into the jungle and they became birds and beasts and fishes. No one could hold him. Da Kwo̱ko̱l went away to Teb-ǰuru. The people told Da Berag (Sir Crab) what had happened at Kwaičo and how no one could hold Da Kwo̱ko̱l. Da Berag went after him to Teb-ǰuru. Da Kwo̱ko̱l had covered himself with ko̱iob (red paint)29. Da Berag pretended that he wanted some paint to put on his upper lip, saying that he was sick. There was no more red paint in the place, so Da Kwo̱ko̱l said ‘You had better come and take some off me.’ Da Berag put his nose to Kwo̱ko̱l’s arm as though to get some paint, and bit deeply into Kwo̱ko̱l’s shoulder. Kwo̱ko̱l could not get loose, and so he died. The people at Teb-ǰuru attacked Da Berag and beat him. They could not kill him, because his skin was too hard, so they threw him into the sea. When Kwo̱ko̱l’s mother, Kegŋa, came and found her son dead she was very angry. She wept for a long time. Then she went into the jungle and cut the plant to̱kul which belongs to Puluga. Puluga was angry because the to̱kul was cut and sent a big storm which killed Kegŋa and all the other people in that place.”