Siwai

(map)

A mother once lived with her son and daughter. Her son was a snake child named Mawo.

It had been arranged that a girl from another clan was to marry Mawo. Months before she was to marry, she grew curious about her prospective husband, adorned herself with jewelry and shell money, and snuck off to see him. When she arrived at his family's house, Mawo was out hunting. Mawo's mother told her that her propospective husband was a snake, but the girl nevertheless did not want to leave. The mother told her to hide in the house. Later, Mawo entered as a giant snake. The girl was terrified upon seeing him, but Mawo was pleased with her and consented to the marriage. She lost her fear and lived happily as his wife.

Soon after that, Mawo said that they should visit his wife's family. They killed and smoked a pig to bring to them. But the girl's clan were unhappy to learn that she had already married. Outwardly they treated Mawo well, but they made a plan to kill him. After the couple had returned to their home, they sent a message that the wife's father had died and the couple should go see him. Then they hid along the path in ambush.

Because Mawo had rarely left home, his mother worried for him, and she tied a long string to his tail. If the string broke, she would know he had been killed. As the couple went along, the men came from hiding and killed Mawo with axes. Mawo's mother knew he had been killed, and she took his tail, which was still tied to the string, and put it in coconut shell bowl.

There the tail rotted, and the mother used this material like salt to flavor the food she cooked. Mawo's sister was curious where the favor came from. The mother said it was a bit of the conventially-made salt that she used, but the daughter did not believe her. Seeing her mother take something from the coconut shell once while cooking, she later went to look in the bowl. When she did, a small amount spilled on the ground. It grew larger and larger. The mother fanned it in all directions, and the liquid grew more as she fanned it. It was the sea. It would have covered the whole world, but the mother said, "Mawo, leave some land for the children and grandchildren to live on." That is why there are islands and mainlands.

Slone, 2001, 2: 956-957.