Note 36 — Chapter IV · MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Reading edition
A similar legend was obtained from the Akar-Bale tribe. “Da Teŋat36 lived at Golugma Bud. He went fishing one day and got only one small fish of the kind called čelau (Glyphidodon sordidus?). He turned to go home, and as he went he shot his arrows before him into the jungle37. Then he went after his arrows to find them again. As he went he spoke to the fruits of the jungle, asking them their names. In those days the ancestors did not know the names of the fruits and trees. First he asked the puiam, and then the guluba, and then the čakli, but none of them replied to him. Then he found his first arrow. It was stuck fast in a big yam (gono). He took the arrow and said to the yam ‘What is your name?’ At first the yam did not answer. Teŋat turned to go away. He had gone a few steps when the yam called him back, saying ‘My name is gono.’ Teŋat replied ‘Oh! I did not know. Why did not you say so before?’ He dug up the yam, which was a very big one. He went off to look for his second arrow. As he went he spoke to the stones of the jungle, asking their names, but none of them replied. Then he found his second arrow fixed in a large lump of resin (tug)38. He took the arrow, and as he was going away the resin called him back, saying ‘Here! my name is tug; you can take me along with you.’ So Teŋat took the resin. Then Teŋat found a cicada (rita), and he took that also. When Teŋat got to the hut (bud), everyone came to look at the things he had brought. He showed them the yam. He told them its name and showed them how to cook it. This was the first time that the ancestors ate gono. Then Teŋat took in his hand the cicada and squashed it between his palms. As he killed it the cicada uttered its cry and the whole world became dark. When the people saw that it was dark they tried to bring back the daylight. Teŋat took some of the resin and made torches. He taught the people how to dance and sing. When Da Ko̱ŋoro (Sir Ant) sang a song the day came back. After that the day and night came alternately.”