Notes on the Papuan Languages spoken about the Head Waters of the St. Joseph River, Central Papua

By Sidney H. Ray, M.A.

The grammars and vocabularies collected by the Rev. Father Egedi, the Rev. E. P. Money and Dr. W. M. Strong illustrate the languages spoken in the higher hill country extending from the district about Mount Yule to Mount Albert Edward and the Upper Vanapa River. They form three distinct groups.

1. Fuyuge, comprising the dialects of Mafulu, Kambisa, Korona and Sikube.

2. Afoa or Ambo, including Tauata.

3. Kovio, including Oru Lopiko.

I. Classification.

The words in the comparative vocabulary are taken from an extensive collection in Mafulu by the Rev. Father Egedi. They represent the same dialect as the Grammar in Appendix I.

That Mafulu, Kambisa, and Korona, with Sikube and Kabana, represent the same language is plain.

The Kabana pronoun nahu, I, the Sikube na(nio) I, nu(ni) thou, and the Kambisa na, I, nu, thou, hu, he, agree with the Fuyuge na, na(ni), I, nu, nu(ni) thou, u, he. The Kabana nauera, mine, is the Fuyuge naula. The Kambisa nara-ndo, mine, nura-ndo, thine, hura-ndo his, also show a suffix ndo corresponding to Mafulu ne in naula(ne), mine, nula(ne) thine, ula(ne) his, and in the vocabulary the Kambisa suffix nda corresponds to the Korona de in the word for “chest.” There is, however, no evidence that the Korona de is equivalent to the Mafulu ne. The word given in Sikube for “woman,” amuri, is the Fuyuge plural amuli, “women.”

A few other likenesses appear, as e.g., Kambisa suffix ng represents Mafulu me, ne; Kambisa fa, the Fuyuge ve; Kambisa a, Korona la, Mafulu le.

Mafulu. Kambisa. Sikube. Kabana. Korona.

Adze so so cho — itau

Arm, hand — ia ia ia ya

Belly ombo hombo — habe obo

Bird nembe neba membe — nebe

Cassowary plume — wasa vasa — —

Child, son me, ese isa me ese isia

Club gilise hadufa adufa, girishia — hadoga

Dog oi hu hu, fu hoa ho

Ear yangolo gadoro gaderu gadero i

Eye i i i e yago

Forest — — bu = garden — bu

Father ba — — ba ba

Fire oki uki okia okia oke

Foot soge siga suku suge sogo

Go gege — henga inga hego

Ground bu, fa hoa bu = garden — fa

Hair, head ade ha ha ha ha

House e e — e e

Knife indi indi indi — —

Leaf tu idu itu idu utu

Lip, mouth ude uba ude ude uau

Moon one hama — hama hoana

Navel kombolu kumburu — habera = belly koboro

Nose unge unga hunge unuga unga

Pig ovo — obu — o’o

Rain yangose — iangushe iangose yagosa

Smoke iso iso ishio — isoa

Stone bute io — io butia

Sun, day eve ewuri — evurima eurima

Sugar-cane — teba tebe — —

Taro munde munda mude — mude

Thigh mude muda mude — mude

Tongue usese asisino asese asese asiesa

Tooth ato usi ado ado atu

Village e haru e — eda

Water yu iu iu iu eu

Woman amu ?mamo = mother amu amu amu

The numerals show similar agreements. These will be illustrated in the next section.

1. Lopiko in the Inava valley.

2. Inavarene in the Inava valley.

3. Kwoifa district on upper Lakekamu River.

4. Villages round Pic Eleia.

Details of these dialects are not given.

II. Comparison.

The three groups of languages illustrated in these vocabularies present the usual Papuan characteristics of great differences. A certain amount of resemblance may be found in some of the pronouns, and possibly in a few other words, but generally speaking the languages are not only quite unconnected with each other, but are also distinct from the known Papuan languages surrounding them.

I. Thou. He. We. You. They.

I. Fuyuge na, nani nu, nuni u, uni di, dini yi, yini tu, tuni

Kambisa na nu u — — ha-ru

Sikube na-nio nu-ni — — — —

Kabana nau — — — — —

II. Afoa na nu-i ome — — —

Tauata na, nai nu, nu-i ome, ome-i nane, nane-i nune, nunei ote, ote-i

III. Kovio na ni pi — — —

Oru-Lopiko na, naro ni, niro pi, piro dae, daro ali, alero valo, valoro

West Toaripi ara-o a-o are-o ela-o e-o ere-o

Namau na-i ni-i u ene-i noro oro

Kiwai mo ro nou nimo nigo nei

North-east, Binandele na imo owa kaena, nakare imomae owawa

East, Koita da a au no yai yau

South-east, Mailu ia ga noa gea aea omoa

It is interesting here to note the agreement in the forms of the first and second persons singular, with a wide difference in the other pronouns. Similar words for these two pronouns occur in other Papuan languages as e.g., Kai (Finschhafen) no, Kelana Kai nai, “I,” and Bongu and Bogadjim (Astrolabe Bay), ni, Kelana Kai ne, “thou.”

The widespread use of a suffix, used when the pronoun is emphatic, is noteworthy. The possessive case also is formed as in some other Papuan languages by a suffix added to the root of the pronoun. Cf.—

My. Thy. His. Our. Your. Their.

Fuyuge nau(le) nu(le) u(le) diu(le) yu(le) ta(le)

naula(ne) nula(ne) ula(ne) diula(ne) yula(ne) tala(ne)

Kambisa narando nurando hurando — — haruando

Tauata neve nie omene nanene nuvene otene

Kovio nemai nimai pimai — — —

Oru-Lopiko nema nima pima daema alima valoma

Toaripi arave ave areve elave eve ereve

Binandele nato ito ounda, owanda kaenato itomane omida

Sometimes the simple form of the pronoun is prefixed to the noun in Tauata to indicate the possessive, as in Namau and Koita. Tauata na ate, Koita di omote, Namau, na uku, “my head.”

The numerals also show great differences. As far as “three” they appear as follows:

Fuyuge. Korona. Sikitbe. Afoa. Tauata. Kovio. Oru Lopiko.

1. fida(ne) fida(ne) fidana koane kone uniuni konepu

2. gegeto gegeda iuara atolowai atoloai karaala kalotolo

3. gegeto m’inaa gegeda-fidane iuara-minda atolowai-itime atoloai-laina naralavievi-napuevi konekhalavi

Some of these words have other meanings. Thus Fuyuge 2, gegeto is given also as “few.” In Tauata 1, kone duplicated as konekone is “few,” whilst onioni, means “alone.” In Oru Lopiko 1, konepu compares with onionipu, “few.”

These numerals are all different from Mailu, Koita, Binandele, Toaripi and Namau.

Mailu. Koita. Binandele. Toaripi. Namau. Kiwai.

1. omu kobua, igagu da farakeka monou nao

2. ava abu tote orakoria morere netowa.

3. aiseri abi-gaga tamonde oroisoria morere-monou netowa-naobi

The vocabulary shows very few agreements, and there is very little evidence in support of a connection of any one of these dialects with its neighbours. The following correspondences may be purely accidental.

Bamboo. Afoa, ila; Namau, ina.

Banana. Korona, haba; Iworo, sabari.

Barter. Afoa, tavatava; Toaripi, tavatava.

Belly. Oru Lop., data; Sogeri, Koiari, detu.

Black. Fuyuge, dube, duba; Neneba, aduve; Koiari, Koita, dubu.

Blood. Fuyuge, tana; Koiari, Koita, tago.

Bone. Fuyuge, fude, &c.; Toaripi, uti.

Child. Fuyuge, me(le); Binandele, mai; Berepo, me.

Fuyuge, isia; Kambisa, isa; Ubere, esi; Neneba, eche.

Coconut. Kambisa, bao; Koiari, bagha.

Crocodile. Fuyuge, fua, fuai; Koiari, fuie.

Dig. Fuyuge, etsia; Toaripi, isei.

Dog. Fuyuge, oi, ho; Agi, Ubere, o; Koiari, &c., to.

Eat, Drink. Fuyuge, na, nene; Namau, na.

Fire. Tauata, ena; Koiari, vene; Koita, veni.

Foot. Fuyuge, &c., soge, suga; Amara, joka.

Male. Tauata, mu; Toaripi, mo. Oru Lopiko, vitapu; Toaripi, vita.

Man. Fuyuge a(ne); Neneba, ana; Koiari, Koita, ata.

Mother. Oru Lopiko, Kovio, nei, Uberi, neia; Koita, neina; Tauata; ine; Koiari, ine.

Pig. Kambisa, sika; Musa River, siko.

Fuyuge, avo; Koiari, ofo; Koita, oho.

Rope. Fuyuge, konange; Gosisi, goda; Koiari, Koita,gote.

Salt. Fuyuge, ama(ne); Neneba, Iworo, amani.

Taro. Fuyuge, &c., munde, muda; Neneba, muda.

Tree. Fuyuge, i, iye; Kovio, ida; Koiari, Koita, idi.

Water. Fuyuge, &c., yu; Afoa, i(pe); Neneba, ei; Ubere, e.

Woman. Fuyuge, amu; Iworo, Neneba, amuro, wife.

III. Papuan and Melanesian.

Three Melanesian languages are spoken in the country around the lower courses of the St. Joseph and Aroa rivers, and are thus in immediate contact with the Papuan languages spoken about the upper waters. These Melanesian languages are the Mekeo, Kuni and Pokau. It is, therefore, of some importance to note whether any apparently non-Melanesian elements in these languages may be traced to the influence of the neighbouring Papuan tongues.

In Grammar the only non-Melanesian characteristic which appears is the preceding of the substantive by the genitive, but in the vocabularies a few correspondences are found.

Bamboo Pokau, ileile; Fuyuge, ele; Afoa, ila. Sinaugoro, tobo; Korono, tobo. Kuni, bioni; Mekeo, piengi; Fuyuge, bione.

Big Kuni, galoa; Afoa, kalowo.

Bird Mekeo, inei; Afoa, kile; Oru Lopiko, ite.

Breast Pokau, pede; Oru Lopiko, apetei.

Chest Mekeo, olanga; Oru Lopiko, ulako.

Couch Kuni, itsifu; Tauata, itsifu.

Crocodile Roro, puaea; Kabadi, ua; Fuyuge, fua.

Dog Pokau, oveka; Kuni, ojame, obeka; Fuyuge, oi(e); Afoa, kovela.

Fork Kuni, ini; Tauata, ini.

Girdle Kuni, afafa; Tauata, afafe.

Hammock Kuni, totoe; Fuyuge, sosoe; Tauata, totolo; Oru Lopiko, totoki.

Head Mekeo, kangia; Oru Lopiko, kakuo.

Hill Mekeo, iku; Fuyuge, ku(me).

House Mekeo, ea; Fuyuge, e(me).

Knife Mekeo, aiva; Kuni, atsiva; Tauata, tiveya; Oru Lopiko, vetsi.

Many Kuni, talelea; Afoa, talele; Fuyuge, talele.

Rope Mekeo, ue; Korona, yu.

Spoon Kuni, nima; Tauata, dima.

Sweet Potato Kuni, gubea; Fuyuge, kupa, gupe; Afoa, gupe.

White Mekeo, foenga; Korona, foa.

But there are many apparently non-Melanesian words in Mekeo, Kuni and Pokau, which are different in each language, and cannot be traced to the neighbouring Papuan. The inference is that such words may be remnants of other Papuan tongues spoken in the St. Joseph and Aroa Basins, which have been absorbed by the immigrant Melanesian speech.

Only three Melanesian words in the list appear to have been adopted by the Papuans. These are: Tauata nau (pe), earthen dish, which is Kuni, Motu, Pokau, &c., nau; Fuyuge asi boat, Pokau and Motu asi; and Fuyuge bara, paddle, the Motu, Kabadi bara, Mekeo fanga, oar. The Fuyuge kokole fowl is also probably the Mekeo kokolo.