Note 40 — Chapter IV · MYTHS AND LEGENDS

“At J̌o̱ŋo-l’ar-bo̱ŋ lived In Kalwadi with her sons Yaramurud and Toau40. Yaramurud went to hunt pig for his mother, but was unsuccessful. When he came home his mother brought him some pork that was in the hut. As he took his knife from the back of his neck to cut the meat with it, he cut himself41. Then his mother knew that he was dead. She said to him ‘You are dead now. You had better go away. We do not want you here any more.’ She took him up and carried him into the jungle and buried him, returning home. Very soon Yaramurud returned. His mother exclaimed ‘Oh! I thought you had gone.’ He replied ‘Mother, I did not die. Why did you bury me?’ But she knew he was dead, so she took him and buried him again. He came back again. This happened three times. Then Kalwadi took him into the jungle to a big dumla tree (Pisonia excelsa), in which there was a big hole. She kicked the tree with her foot and said ‘You go in there.’ Yaramurud went inside. ‘Well! Have you gone?’ his mother asked. He answered ‘Yes!’ ‘Tell me how the spirits (čauga) talk’ she asked him, and he replied ‘To̱ kit42.’ Then his mother knew that he was with the spirits, and said ‘Oh! my child, you are finished now. You will never come back again.’ After a few days Yaramurud came back (as a spirit) to see his brother Toau. Toau was busy building a hut. When Yaramurud saw him he killed him. Before this there had been no death. But In Kalwadi told the people, saying ‘You see what has happened; well, we shall all of us die like this, like these two have done’.”