Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 24, 1913.djvu/311

 The Poet)')' of the Kiwai Papuans. 289

During one of the phases of the tacnx or Jioriomu cere- mony, when spirits of the dead are supposed to dance before the women, the drummers who accompany the dance sing, —

f. " Markai wareva biipa ivarc inarkai iamka pi-iautka ware." (" Brother belong me he ghost now, stop along dark place, you me make dance belong him now,")

" Markai wareva bupa ware inarkai iiikiapo." (" Friend belong me he ghost now, stop along dark place.")

" Koimcgc iaba ngatara igiuina zuakai ere pavuija iaba ngatora!' (" I try wake him my friend, he no more, my throat he no good now " [is choking].

" lara gasu gapn gavia sura gasn gapu gaina." ("That dance for you now, you me dance for that brother.")

Although songs are supposed to accompany the above- named and other ceremonies, they arc not necessarily or exclusively sung together with the rites to which they refer, but, like many other songs, may be sung independently in connection with dances as a semi-mimetic representation of the rites they describe.

C. Serial Songs.

The most complete song-texts from a literary point of view are those which are sung in connection with certain dances and ceremonies taking place indoors, in the darinio or men's house. Although the various ceremonies differ considerably from each other, the singing is attended in many of them by more or less the same circumstances. The people walk very slowly round and round the long- house in a column two and two with very short tripping steps which cause the gay feathers and leaves of their dresses to wave. Those who do not take part in the dance sit round the nres. The leader walks at the head of the procession, the solemn progress of which he regulates. He knows the texts of the songs, and, when he thinks that