Custom Stories from Epi, Vanuatu

Explanation of coral rock on the hills / told by Supabo, Nikauta, Epi

 

The old women built their houses in one place on the mountain at Lowo.  Afterwards one built a fence round her house, and the other did likewise.  And now one went forth to the back of her house and saw the sea flowing in the enclosure.

She saw the fish in it swimming about, and all the living things of the sea in it.  There were fish and soft-shell crabs, and shells and the stones of the sea.  She took the stones that were slabs and made a dyke with them.  When she had hidden the sea from view with them she went to her garden and brought her food and herbs.  When she had finished making her pudding, she went and dipped up some saltwater, and came and put it in her pudding.  She ate a part and gave a part to the old woman in the other house.  This old woman ate it and felt that it was tasty.  She asked her neighbour , saying,

"What have you taken and put in the pudding, which is a tasty one,"

but the other denied having done anything, saying,

"The dew was on the leaves and made it tasty."

Afterwards the second old woman wanted to make a similar one with dew.  She tasted it, but it was tasteless.  On another day the first old woman made a second pudding, and put saltwater in it again, and the neighbour tasted that it was again tasty.  And now she knew she had been told a falsehood, and she said,

"It is not like dew, it is like another thing."

She remained and watched until the first old woman went out, and then she went and watched stealthily and saw her uncover the sea in the enclosure.  Having discovered the secret the second old woman took a leaf and went and dipped a very little sea and took it and left it in her house.  Afterwards she went and took the kabasu leaves and came and made a pudding.  When the pudding was cooked she took the sea and sprinkled it, and afterwards took it to the old woman who had the sea beside her.  Now this old woman ate it and knew that she had stolen her sea, and she spoke to her and said,

"I wished that we should remain and be saltwater people, but you have stolen this from me,"

and she was angry and went to the enclosure, pulled down the fences which were round the sea, and the sea flowed down the mountain, taking all the fish and stones with it at Lowo.

(Lowo is at the head of a gully above Nikaura.  It is 1000 feet up, besides it is a stratum of coral limestone in which hermit crabs are still found.  From Lowo to the sea is a deep gorge.  At the sea the beach is covered with slabs of coral and round volcanic boulders.)