9 9 Gala No ikarige he die veyola kinsman his, ninasi mind their bweyna. well. 10 10 Vivila Woman kayyala spear her ikawo, she take pela for tokamsita’u. cannibals.
Free Translation
1 We come to Dobu, (there) someone has recently died—there is a gwala: the areca nut will ripen, the bananas will ripen, they will stick up coco-nuts on small spikes.
2 If there is no ka’ubana’i charm made—we are afraid: they (sc. the Dobuans) put on war paint, take up spear and axe, they sit (waiting) and look at us.
3 We go into the village running, not walking; we arrive and climb the areca palm.
4 He (the Dobuan) shouts: “Don’t climb the areca palm!”
5 Already he takes the spear, so as to hit us.
6 We ritually spit about wild ginger root charmed with the ka’ubana’i spell—he returns, comes to us, laughs, he throws away spear and axe.
7 We ritually bespit the whole village, already their intention vanishes, they tell us:
8 “Well, climb your areca palm and your coco-nut, cut your banana.”
9 If no kinsman had died, their intentions are good.
10 A woman would also take up a spear, as they (the Dobuans) are cannibals.
These three texts will be quite sufficient to give an idea of the method of dealing with linguistic evidence, and of the documentary value of immediately recorded native opinions. They will also make clear what I have said before, that only a good, working knowledge of a native language on the one hand, and a familiarity with their social organisation and tribal life on the other, would make it possible to read all the full significance into these texts.