Note 33 — Chapter IV · MYTHS AND LEGENDS

Mr Man speaks of a legend of how the tribes came to be dispersed over the islands. From his account it would seem that there were two different dispersions, one before the Deluge, and a second after it. Mr Man’s account is as follows. “Tomo lived to a great age, but even before his death his offspring became so numerous that their home could no longer accommodate them. At Puluga’s bidding they were furnished with all necessary weapons, implements, and fire, and then scattered in pairs all over the country. When this exodus occurred Puluga provided each party with a distinct dialect. It would almost seem that, without straining the legend to suit facts, we might discern in this a faint echo of the Biblical account of the confusion of tongues and dispersion at Babel33.”