The story of the taro pudding

This story is about two Telerikos (Dragons) who scraped taro to make a pudding, and put it on the fire. One was a fierce Teleriko, the other a gentle Teleriko. When the pudding was cooked the fierce one took part, cut it, and offered it to the grandson of the gentle one. She called the child, whose name was Aaamwe (chanting in a rough voice) –

“Aamwe, Simbong’bongia

Maleto, maleto”

But the child’s mother forbade her to go, saying,

“ Don’t go, this is just the fierce one calling, your own grandmother is here.”

Afterwards the gentle one took her taro pudding and called (in a gentle voice)-

“Aamwe, Simbong’bongia

Maleto, maleto”

and the child’s mother said to her,

“That is your grandmother. She is now here.”

The child went down and took the pudding. On another day the fierce one prepared a taro pudding, and, having put it on the fire first, she cooked it quickly, took it off and cried (in her harsh voice)-

“Simbong’ bongia

Maleto, maleto.”

The mother again forbade the child, saying,

“Don’t go, that is the fierce one calling, your own grandmother is here.”

Afterwards the gentle one took off her pudding and cried (gently)-

Aaawe, Simbong’ bongia

Maleto, maleto, maleto,

This is your grandmother that calls,”

and the child went down and took the taro pudding from her, and brought it up and ate it. After she had eaten it, the fierce one scraped again another pudding, saying, “However can I destroy him?” she called softly-

Aaawe, Simbong’ bongia

Maleto, maleto, maleto,

The child thought it was his own grandmother and ran down. When he had got down the fierce one killed him.

After awhile the real grandmother called, and the child’s mother said,

“ He has already gone down to you. “

The grandmother said,

“Oh no, he has not come down. We always forbade it, we said you would let evil come to my grandson, and now you have let him come down and the fierce Leriko has smitten him.”

Now the fierce one wrapped him in cooking leaves and put him (in the taro pudding) on the fire. When he was cooked, she cut him up, and the juice of the child was in the pudding. She gave a part of this pudding to the gentle one, who said,

“ Now, here is something like the juice of my grandson,”

but the other said,

“No, no! It is only the taro juice.”

A while after saying this the fierce one went and took a pandanus mat to plait it, and while she was plaiting the gentle one said to her,

“My word, sister, your mat is a good one.”

She replied,

“This mat of mine I plaited long ago, I have brought it out to finish it now.”

The gentle one came near, and saw on the mat a flat, sharp-edged stone, which was used as a weight. She took it up, saying,

“Sister, your stone is a good one.”

When she stooped to bite off the pandanus strands the gentle one took the sharp stone and cut off the head of the fierce one with it, and so she died.

Now the Epi people say it is “ The destined death for the child whom she killed,” or Retribution with the lame foot.