Sample Texts
Ehiwac
Text | Commentary | Catalog Entry
| 1 | Seiwok | babenomi | h-a-kәri | әn-ombi | urah | h-a-ni | worɨbɨs | ehiwac | c-a-pwe. |
| 2 | long.ago | grandfather:7PL | 7PL-R-say | some-units | jungle | 8PL-R-and | river:PL | spirit:8PL | 8PL-R-sit |
| 3 | Long ago our grandfathers said that at places here and there in the dense jungle and rivers there were bush spirits. | ||||||||
| 4 | Bipo bipo yet ol tumbuna itok olsem long sampela hap insait long wara na bikbus igat masalai istap. | ||||||||
| 6 | Ehiwac | c-a-kәri | sәgәbehem | h-ә-k-ec | әrɨgeh=i. |
| 7 | spirit:8PL | 8PL-R-say | spirit:7PL | 7PL-R-give-8PL | sick=REL |
| 8 | They say ehiwac are ghosts that give people sickness. | ||||
| 9 | Masalai iolsem ol spirit nogut ol isave mekim sik ikamap long man. | ||||
| 11 | Dou | әn-eɲ | әrәpeɲ | aka | batowiɲ | ɲeraubor=um | әtә | c-ɨ-na | c-ɨ-kɨrip | eɲɨndә | әrәpeɲ |
| 12 | now | some-8SG | person:8SG | or | child:8SG | sick=COND | FUT | 8PL-IR-go | 8PL-IR-tell | this:8SG | person:8SG |
| 13 | Now, if a person or child is sick, his or her relatives will go tell the person | ||||||||||
| 14 | Na sapos wanpela pikinini o man igat sik nau bai ol igo na toktok long man | ||||||||||
| 16 | ɲ-a-dɨkem-ec=um | ɲ-ɨ-c-aur-um-ec. |
| 17 | 8SG-R-know-8PL=REL | 8SG-IR-8PL-hang.up-BEN-8PL. |
| 18 | who knows the supplicating magic. | |
| 19 | husait isave long pasin bilong hangamapim samting bilong bekim. | |
| 21 | Әdiә | eɲɨndә | arәpeɲ | ɲ-ɨ-kita | ɲ-ɨ-hɨr | әn-әbәr | utәbәr | aka |
| 22 | then | this:8SG | person:8SG | ɲ8SG-IR-get.up | 8SG-IR-pick.up | some-PL.IRREG | stone:?PL | or |
| 23 | Then, this person will get up, take some money or | |||||||
| 24 | Man ia em bai kirap nau kisim sampela moni o | |||||||
| 26 | әnec | yuwahәs | aka | at-uhʷ-at-uhʷ | sɨruhʷ | әtә | ɲ-ɨ-na |
| 27 | some-8PL | shell.ring:8PL | or | one-12PL-one-12PL | ornament:12PL | FUT | 8SG-IR-go |
| 28 | some rings or a few ornaments, and will go | ||||||
| 29 | sampela ol ring o wanwan bilas nau na em bai go | ||||||
| 31 | gani | ehiwac | c-a-pwe=um. |
| 32 | LOC | spirit:32 8PL | 8PL-R-sit=REL |
| 33 | to where the ehiwac are. | ||
| 34 | long masalai istap long em hap. | ||
| 36 | Әdiә | ɲ-u-waur | әhɨdә | jah | әdiә | ɲ-ɨ-pwe | ɲ-ɨ-tik. |
| 37 | then | 8SG-IR-hang.up | this:13SG | stuff:13SG | then | 8SG-IR-sit | 8SG-IR-see. |
| 38 | He will hang this stuff up [from a branch], and sit down and watch. | ||||||
| 39 | Em bai hangamapim dispela ol samting nau na em bai sindaun istap lukluk. | ||||||
| 41 | Ɲ-ɨ-pwe | ɲ-ɨ-ti | әn-әr | arәmir | coburon | aka | ihʷautebɨr | c-ɨ-nak-i |
| 42 | 8SG-IR-sit | 8SG-IR-see | some-10SG | bird:10SG | dragonfly:6SG | or | butterfly:2SG | 8PL-IR-go-toward.spkr |
| 43 | He will wait and see a bird, dragonfly, or butterfly come | |||||||
| 44 | Lukluk nau na em lukim pisin or bataplai ikam | |||||||
| 46 | c-ɨ-kih-i | c-ɨ-tem | iruhʷ-ih-әm | jah | әdiә | eɲɨndә | arәpeɲ |
| 47 | 8PL-IR-arise-toward.spkr | 8PL-IR-rest.upon | above-13SG-OBL | stuff:13SG | then | this:8SG | person:8SG |
| 48 | and rest upon this stuff, and then this person | ||||||
| 49 | sindaun istap antap long dispela ol samting nau | ||||||
| 51 | ɲ-e-ne | pɨripɨrәs=i | әtә | ɲ-ɨ-dɨkem-ec | ɲ-a-kana | ehiwac | gә | c-ә-bure | jah. |
| 52 | 8SG-R-do | magic=REL | FUT | 8SG-IR-know-8PL | 8SG-R-say | spirit:8PL | PERF | 8PL-R-pull.down | stuff:13SG |
| 53 | will know that the ehiwac have accepted the stuff. | ||||||||
| 54 | bai em save olsem masalai ikam kisim ol samting pinis. | ||||||||
| 56 | Әdiә | ɲ-a-kana | wosik | ɲ-ɨ-kitak | ɲ-ɨ-bure | jah | ɲ-ɨ-suw-әh |
| 57 | then | 8SG-R-say | alright | 8SG-IRR-arise | 8SG-IRR-pull.down | stuff:13SG | 8SG-IRR-hold-13SG |
| 58 | Then he'll say alright, get up, take down the stuff, | ||||||
| 59 | Bai em tok orait. Em bai kirap kisim samting ikam daun nau, | ||||||
| 61 | әriә | ɲ-ɨ-na | wabɨr. |
| 62 | then | 8SG-IRR-go | village:2SG |
| 63 | and carry it back to the village. | ||
| 64 | na em igo long ples. | ||
| 66 | Әtә | ɲ-ɨ-na | ɲ-ɨ-kәrip-ec | ɲ-a-kana | wosik, | ehiwac | igә | c-ә-hɨr | jah |
| 67 | FUT | 8SG-IR-go | 8SG-IR-tell-8PL | 8SG-IR-say | alright | spirit:8PL | PERF | 8PL-R-lift.up | stuff:13SG |
| 68 | He will go and tell them alright; the ehiwac have taken the stuff; | ||||||||
| 69 | Go nau na em tokim ol orait, masalai ikisim ol samting pinis, | ||||||||
| 71 | gә | cәhɨr | y-a-h-aur-um-ec=i | jah. |
| 72 | PERF | 8PL-R-lift.up | ISG-R-lift-OBL-8PL-REL | stuff:13SG |
| 73 | they have taken the stuff that I hung up for them. | |||
| 74 | ol ikisim ol samting mi hangamapim long ol istap ia. | |||
| 76 | Әtә | әnәn | okwok | aka | batowiɲ | ɲ-e-raubor=i | әtә | sour-eɲ. |
| 77 | FUT | 7SG.PRO | 4SG.PRO | or | child.7SG | 8SG-R-lift=REL | FUT | healthy-7SG |
| 78 | He or she or the child who is sick will be healthy. | |||||||
| 79 | Man o meri o pikinini husait igat sik bai kamap gutpela gen. | |||||||
| 81 | Dou | әbɨdә | ɲɨtәb | mundai | m-o-ne | ecɨde | en-ec-en-ec | uwe. |
| 82 | now | this:1SG | time | NEG | 1PL-R-make | this:8PL | some-8PL-some-8PL | NEG |
| 83 | Today in this time we do not do these things anymore. | |||||||
| 84 | Nau long dispela taim mipela ino save mekim olsem, nogat. | |||||||
| 86 | Arәpeɲ | ɲ-e-raubor=um | douk, | әtә | ɲ-ɨ-na | ɲ-ɨ-rau | marasin | gani | hausik. |
| 87 | person:8SG | 8SG-R-sick-COND | now, | FUT | 8SG-IR-go | 8SG-IR-get | medicine:TP | LOC | hospital:TP |
| 88 | When a person is sick today, he will go get medicine at the health center. | ||||||||
| 89 | Long dispela taim sapos man o meri igat sik bai em igo long hausik bilong kisim marasin. | ||||||||
| 91 | Douk | misinari | c-e-nak-i | c-a-kana | ecɨde | en-ec-en-ec | mundai | adɨr-ic | uwe. |
| 92 | now | missionary:TP | 8PL-R-go-toward.spkr | 8PL-R-say | 8this:8PL | some-8PL-some-8PL | NEG | true-8PL | NEG |
| 93 | Today missionaries have come and said that these things are not true. | ||||||||
| 94 | Nau ol misineri ikam na ol tokim mipela olsem dispela samting em ino stret. | ||||||||
| 96 | Douk | әtә | p-ɨ-ne | urukum=um | әt-ɨn | got | n-a-pwe. |
| 97 | now | FUT | IIPL-IR-do | heart:5SG=OBL | one-7SG | god:TP | 7SG-R-sit |
| 98 | Today you should believe in one god. | ||||||
| 99 | Gutpela moa olsem yu gat bilip long wanpela got istap tasol. | ||||||
| 101 | Ecɨde | en-ec-en-ec | yowei-c-i | giagik-ic | әtә | mare | p-ɨ-nek-ec. |
| 102 | these:8PL | some-8PL-some-8PL | bad-8PL-PRED | false-8PL | FUT | NEG | IIPL-IR-do-8PL |
| 103 | These bad things are false and you should not do them. | ||||||
| 104 | Dispela ol samting ino gutpela olsem na yu no ken mekim. | ||||||
| 106 | Әriә | douk | mundai | m-o-nek-ec | uwe. |
| 107 | then | now | NEG | IPL-IR-do-8PL | NEG |
| 108 | And so now we do not do them. | ||||
| 109 | Olsem nau mipela no save mekim. | ||||
| 106 | Ehiwac-iɲ | boraɲ | eɲɨndək | et-iɲ. |
| 107 | spirit:8PL-8SG | talk:8SG | this:8SG | one-8SG |
| 108 | This is the end of the story about bush spirits. | |||
| 109 | Em tasol, toktok bilong masalai. | |||
Commentary
The "Ehiwac" text was dictated by the late Matthew Rahiria in Wautogik village and transcribed by Lise Dobrin as he spoke. The date was c. late 1998. The text is represented here "sentence by sentence" according to the usual linguistic conventions, though this obscures the poetic structure of the narrative event. In the course of discussing the text immediately after he told it, Matthew added some clarifications (corresponding approximately to lines 51-56). These disrupt the narrative organization to some extent: like each scene in the Bethlehem story, Matthew's original telling of "Ehiwac" comprises three coherent four verse stanzas.
The text describes the forms of contact Arapesh people traditionally had with their masalai (Cemaun Arapesh: SG ehiwaɲ ~ PL ehiwac), dangerous bush spirits inabiting dark, inhospitable forest lands. When a villager became ill and a masalai was determined to be the cause, the sick person's relatives would ask "the one who knew the supplicating magic" to appeal to the masalai with gifts so that the villager would recover. These practices have been lost with the arrival Christianity and western medicine. More information about Papua New Guineans' changing relationship to masalai can be found on pp. xxv-xxvi of Thomas Slone's 2001 book of folktales, One thousand one Papua New Guinean nights: Ancestor Stories from Wantok Newspaper, Volume 1.