The Earthquake : Beliefs and Practices in the Central Highlands, New Guinea 173 
grows well, my mother takes the Kovo nde and the little liana away and hides 
them in her treasure bag in her house 5 . 
People say: “Ye kerema, ‘the big man’ who carries the earth, moves 
from one hand to the other. This causes the earth to tremble.” (Reported 
hy Aglua.) 
KUMA 
Our people say : “The sun’s house is on top of the mountain called 
baling. Before the sun enters his house, he shakes the earth. He does not go 
ln to the mountain. He causes the komba and amugl pandanus trees to bear 
fruit. When he leaves his house again, another earthquake shakes the ground.” 
The same Kuma informant reported several expressions relating to the 
earthquake, which is again believed to be caused by an animal in the earth : 
Kovo vonum “the Kovo animal is coming”, i. e. there is an earthquake ; magi 
b°glo ndom “the earth is trembling” ; Kovo vondo, magi boglo ndom “when the 
Kovo comes, the earth trembles”. - The Kovo’s legs are like those of a man and 
lts hands are like the legs of an animal. It is like a very small boy and causes 
ear thquakes by turning from one side to the other. - Just before people begin 
their dance, a magician touches their hand-drums with “a bone of the Kovo". 
effect of this will be that many people will come to see the dance. - If 
d man wants his friend to give him many valuable things, he puts a bone of 
ff*e Kovo into his netbag. This will cause his friend to be most generous 
f°Wards him. (Reported by Palxka.) 
yuri 
One day, when a strong earthquake shook the house in which we were, 
VVe held on to the posts of the house or to one another. Now an old man whose 
' la me is Pole, said : nenin bil "our great father” stands beside the earth, 
°lding a stick in his hand. When he takes the stick into the other hand, the 
k r ound trembles. - The Yuri expression for “an earthquake is coming on” is 
Unin unggua. (Reported by Au.) 
KUNANAGU 
When all the houses for the big pig festival are built, a magician kindles 
d new fire by using the fire-saw method. All the other men light their torches 
J 11 this new fire and bring it into their own new houses. Then they all gather. 
le Magician starts shouting very loud, asking all the men to come. He wraps 
e bone oi the Imen into some leaves of a milen tree 6 . After that he goes 
r °ui one house to the other, burning a little of this package in each of them, 
er having spoken a charm over it. Now all the men sit in the house, sing 
the Kovo seems to be the same mythical animal which is believed by the Gende 
Thimbu people to have its abode in the earth at Yandara. The Pala, however, 
1GVe hs dwelling place to be at Tapipogal. 
6 1 he flowers and fruits of this tree are eaten by birds.