The commentary to the opening sentences given by my informant, Molilakwa of Oburaku, was:
“This magic is taught to people when they are quite young. Hence the mention of young people.”
The obliterating of traces will be made clearer by the account which follows, in which we shall see that to obliterate traces, to put off the scent the shark and mulukwausi are the main concerns of the shipwrecked party. The middle part refers to sharks only, and so does the peroration. The passage of Kiyawa near Tuma is mentioned in several types of magical exorcisms, when the evil influence is being banished. This passage lies between the main island and the island of Tuma, and leads into the unknown regions of the North-Western seas.
It will be best to quote here another formula of the giyotanawa type, and a very dramatic one. For this is the formula spoken at the critical moment of shipwreck. At the moment when the sailors decide to abandon the craft and to plunge into the sea, the toliwaga stands up in the canoe, and slowly turning round so as to throw his words towards all four winds, intones in a loud voice this spell:
Giyotanawa No. 2. “Foam, foam, breaking wave, wave! I shall enter into the breaking wave, I shall come out from behind it. I shall enter from behind into the wave, and I shall come out in its breaking foam!” “Mist, gathering mist, encircling mist, surround, surround me!” “Mist, gathering mist, encircling mist, surround, surround me, my mast! Mist, gathering mist, etc. … surround me, the nose of my canoe. Mist, etc. … surround me, my sail, Mist, etc. … surround me, my steering oar, Mist, etc. … surround me, my rigging, Mist, etc. … surround me, my platform,” And so on, enumerating one after the other all the parts of the canoe and its accessories. Then comes the final part of the spell: “I shut off the skies with mist; I make the sea tremble with mist; I close up your mouth, sharks, *bonubonu* (small worms), *ginukwadewo* (other worms). Go underneath and we shall swim on top.”
Little is needed as a commentary to this magic. Its beginning is very clear, and singularly well depicts the situation in which it is uttered. The end refers directly to the primary aim of the magic, to the warding off of the Underneath, of the dangerous animals in the sea. The only ambiguity refers to the middle part, where the magical leading words of ‘enveloping by mist’ are associated