Origin of bush and saltwater peoples

Origin of bush and saltwater peoples / told by Lemanu of Nikaura

Two old woman built a house above Pulutamutamu. They used to say Tamu-tamu tamu-tamy pe u-u (chanted). These two old women saw the sea appear, and they fenced it round. One only fenced it; and one did not see it at all. Afterwards they scraped taro for a taro pudding, they wrapped it in cooking leaves, and left it on the fire till it was cooked. The one that saw the sea took away her part first, and took sea-water and washed it. Having washed it she gave it to her sister to eat. When she discovered by taste that sea was in it she said,

"What is this? I taste something like sea,"

but the other denied, saying, "Oh, no; it is only the water of the taro stalks (dew). She said,

"No! I taste something here like sea."

Again the first one took her taro pudding with sea in it and gave it to the other saying,

"You taste this sea is not in it at all, that which you took before, sea was in that."

Her neighbour was suspicious and said,

"You are deceiving me,"

but she said,

"No."

However the other tasted the sea again and knew, and said,

"You denied before, and you deny now; I will taste it and know."

The first replied,

"You have forbidden us to use it, I thought we would stay and be saltwater people, but you say, 'we will be bush people' ."

Then she went and broke down the fence, and the sea flowed down and took all their personal possessions and food and carried them down to the sea at Wele (near Lolo).