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Chalmers, James, 1841-1901

"Adventures in New Guinea"


9_th_.--Arrived at Keninumu at half-past ten a.m. Found all well. The
natives are constantly on the look-out for the Tabori attack on
Munikahila. We hear the Munikahila natives have been stealing from
Goldie.
14_th_.--Since our return we have been house-building, but are getting on
very slowly. I fear we are six weeks too late for the Kupele district,
and shall have to leave it for another season. It would be awkward to
get in and not get back until the end of the wet season. I find our
friend the chief, Poroko, has had two wives; one he killed lately. She
was in the plantation, and some young fellows coming along, she sat down
with them to have a smoke and get the news; Poroko heard of it, and on
her coming home in the evening he killed her. A woman at Favelle said,
"Oh, the Koiari man thinks nothing of killing his wife." The word for
"sneeze" in Koiari is _akiso_. When they are leaving for a journey or
going for the night they call out _kiso_, and often from their houses
they shout their good-night to us, _kiso_.


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