The Earthquake : Beliefs and Practices in the Central Highlands, New Guinea 171 
steady. From the hole comes a sound like that of a flute. After an earthquake 
the guardian of the hole runs into his garden where he finds the excrements 
of the Mondono. He covers them with grass and cooks some rats and birds 
nearby. Having eaten these, he collects the Mondono’s excrements, which are 
°f a very white colour. He puts them into a bamboo tube, being very careful 
with them. If only a little of them falls on the earth, the latter will break 
a nd slide downhill. The old man sells these Mondono excrements for money, 
a Pig and other valuable things. - When the Mondono comes out of its hole, 
it eats tizai vegetables, swallowing the juice of them, and spitting out the 
remainder. This is also collected and sold by the old man who watches over 
the Mondono’s hole. - The beast’s excrements and the chewed remains of the 
tizai vegetables are given to the male pigs, which causes them to become ver} 
iat. If sows eat the stuff, they will lose their fertility. - The hole through 
which the Mondono appears, is called Mondono apoa the mouth of the 
Mondono”. (Reported by Anggiva.) 
gegeru 
The earthquake-causing animal of Yandara is called Imimi or Mondono. 
before giving the pie's cooked sweet Dotatoes on which Imimi crcva excre- 
m ents of the Imitni" have been strewn, the women will say : Imimi pingga 
Pingga! “Imimi, shake, shake ! - There is a myth connected with the Imimi 
animal: Once upon a time, two little boys went out to find some tuva insects 
(crickets) for their little pig. In the beginning the little pig followed them, 
^ )u t later it disappeared in a cave in the ground. Now the two of them looked 
tur the pig but could not find it, as there was a maze of rooms and vaults 
under the earth. So they came out without the pig, which became the 
Mondono. - People are afraid of it, because it upsets the ground, but at the 
Sa me time they like it, because its excrements cause their pigs to grow fat. - 
buying a bride from Yandara requires a goodly number of pigs, because the 
ffirl is called Mondono yowo "mother of the Mondono”. If her husband does 
not give her many pigs, she will run away. Normally, he will give her pig s 
*wf to her fill. (Reported by Gaima.) 
duakai 
If an earthquake occurs, some people say : "Our big father (t omo namba) 
sh ilts the heavy things - a stone and a piece of wood - which he holds, from 
°ue hand to the other as his hand gets tired. This causes the ground to shake. 
s °me people say: "Our big father sends a pig which causes the earth to 
tr emble.’’ - Still others believe that Mondono is the mother pig who sends 
they play and turn over, which causes the erathquake. 
people rejoice and say : “Ax, ax, mbrrrr” 3 . This will 
u., 
twu this happens people rejoice and say 
caus e their own pigs to grow fast, especially if the Mondono ereva are given 
1 them. 
: ! * hese are the sounds with which people call their pigs. 1 he x is pronounced like ch 
11 German ach.