Usen Barok

(map)

Long ago, all saltwater was confined to one hole, which was capped by a stone. An old woman came to this hole from time to time to get some of the water, which she used to season her greens. Two brothers, Silik and Kambadarai, used to season their greens by urinating on them. Once, though, Silik met the old woman and tasted her greens, which were delicious. He secretly followed the old woman, saw her remove the stone to get saltwater, and did so himself after she left. When Kambadarai later asked Silik why his greens were so good, he told about the old woman and the stone-covered well.

The two decided to remove the stone, and when they prceeded to do so, water gushed out and soon began to flood everything. Angrily, the old woman told them that they would have to dam up the water, and as quickly as possible. Silik ran straight as he threw down stones, and he tried to show Kambadarai how to run, but Kambadarai said, "I know how to run already." He ran crookedly. Silik's path became the coast, and Kambadarai's became the central mountains. Towards Kavieng, they ran so fast that the stones they placed had gaps between, creating a group of islands.

Silik later made the first ship and traveled to the places of the Europeans. Kambadarai made the first mon, the large canoe of the Siars, and stayed with them.

Roy Wagner, Asiwinarong: Ethos, Image, and Social Power among the Usen Barok of New Ireland (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1986), 24-25.