Category Archives: reading/writing

This story was published in the Jabêm school Buku Sêsamŋa II [Book for Reading, 2d. ed.], edited by M. Lechner and Nêdeclabu Male (Madang: Lutheran Mission Press, 1955), pp. 99–100. I have inserted hyphens between stems and affixes and supplied the English (and Tok Pisin) glosses and free translation.

Nombaŋ tê-tu Sibôma.
Numbami ol-become S.
The Numbami become the Siboma.

Gêmuŋ-geŋ lau Sibôma nêŋ ŋaê teŋ Nombaŋ.
Before-ly people S. their name one N.
In the past, one name of the Siboma people was Numbami.

Êsêac sê-ŋgông gwêc atom,
they ol-dwell sea not
They didn’t live on the seacoast;

sê-ŋgông lôc ŋamuŋa tê-tôm lau saleŋ-ŋa.
ol-dwell hill behind ol-match people bush-of
they lived up in the hills like bush people.

Têm teŋ acgom ma mêŋ-sê-ŋgông gwêc naŋ ŋam amboac tonec.
Time one first and come-ol-dwell sea, that reason like this
Then one time, they came down to the sea, for the following reason.

Bêc teŋ ma êsêac Nombaŋ mêŋ-sê-kôc awê teŋ aŋga Kuwi-nêŋ malac.
day one and ol Numbami come-ol-get woman one from K.-their village
One day, the Numbami came and got a woman from the Kuwi village.

Kuwi-nêŋ ŋac teŋ kê-daguc gê-ja Nombaŋ
K.-their man one em-follow em-go N.
One Kuwi man went after the Numbami

ma kê-masaŋ biŋ gê-dêŋ êsêac gebe
and em-arrange word em-to ol SAY
and set them straight, saying

“A-kêŋ awê tau ê-ndêŋ aê ja-kôc ja-mu ja-na ê-tiam.”
yup-send woman self em-to mi mi-get mi-back mi-go em-again
“Give me that woman and I’ll take her back again.”

Ma lau Nombaŋ têntac ŋandaŋ kê-sa
and people N. bellies heat em-rise
And the Numbami people got angry

ma sê-sôm eŋ gebe
and em-tell em SAY
and scolded him, saying

“Ô-sôm paŋ-geŋ ô-kô,
yu-tell like-ly yu-stand
“If you stand there talking like that,

aêac oc a-nac aôm êndu
mip later mip-hit yu dead
we’re going to kill you

ma a-niŋ aôm su,
and mip-eat yu FIN
and eat you up

ma aôm-nêm lau oc sê-nam kauc aôm.”
and yu-your people later ol-hold mind yu
and your relatives won’t recognize you.”

Ŋac tonaŋ kê-têc
man that em-fear
The man was afraid

ma gê-êc gê-mêŋ malac kê-tiam
and em-flee em-come village em-again
and fled back to his village again

ma gê-jac-miŋ biŋ samob tonaŋ gê-dêŋ nê lau.
and em-hit-story word all that em-to his people
and told his relatives the whole story.

Nê lau sê-ŋô biŋ tonaŋ e têntac ŋandaŋ kê-sa
his people ol-hear word that till bellies heat em-rise
His relatives listened to those words until they got very angry

ma sê-kêŋ jaeŋ gê-dêŋ lau Buso to Lababia
and ol-send message em-to people B. with L.
and sent a message to the Buso and Lababia people

ac sê-ja sê-wiŋ êsêac
ol ol-go ol-join ol
and the latter went and joined with them

ma sê-kic biŋ sê-wiŋ tauŋ
and ol-bind word ol-join selves
and planned together

ma se-no laki sê-wiŋ tauŋ e sê-lic laki ke-letoc ŋajam.
and ol-cook ginger ol-join selves till ol-see ginger em-boil good
and consulted the war oracle together until they saw the ginger boiled over well.

Bêbêc-geŋ dê-di
morning-ly ol-arise
In the morning, they got underway

ma sê-sêlêŋ gê-dêŋ ocsalô e kêtulala
and ol-walk em-at forenoon till evening
and walked from morning until evening

ma tê-dabiŋ malac.
and ol-near village
and they came near the village.

Sê-pi malac sebeŋ atom,
ol-up village rapid not
They didn’t go up to the village right away;

sê-ê tauŋ susu sê-moa e gêbêcauc.
ol-pull selves away ol-stay till nightfall
they held back until nightfall.

Lau Nombaŋ samob sê-pi nêŋ malac
People Numbami all ol-ascend their village
The Numbami all went up to their village

ma sê-êc bêc acgom,
and ol-lie night first
and lay down for the night first,

go êsêac lau Kuwi to Buso ma Lababia sê-wa êsêac auc kê-tôm nêŋ andu
then ol people K. with B. and L. ol-sit ol closed ol-match their house
then the Kuwi and Buso and Lababia people surrounded each house

ma se-jop sê-ŋgông e geleŋŋa.
and ol-guard ol-dwell till daybreak
and kept watch until daybreak.

Ŋawê kê-sa
Light em-rise
It got light

ma lau ŋacjo sê-sa ja-tê-tôc tauŋ gê-dêŋ lau Nombaŋ.
and people enemy ol-rise go-ol-show selves em-to people Numbami
and the enemies got up and went and showed themselves to the Numbami.

Ac sê-lic êsêac su
ol ol-see ol FIN
The latter saw them

ma sê-sôm gebe
and ol-tell SAY
and they said,

“Galoc tonec ta-mansaŋ biŋ
Now this yumi-arrange word
“This time, we’re going to set things straight

ma ta-no gêŋ êsêac
and yumi-cook thing ol
and cook them food

ma ta-kêŋ nêŋ awê sê-kôc sê-mu sê-na ê-tiam.”
and yumi-send their woman ol-get ol-back ol-go em-again
and send their woman for them to take back away again.”

Lau Buso to Lababia sê-ŋô biŋ tonaŋ e têntac ŋandaŋ
People B. with L. ol-hear word that till bellies hot
The Buso and Lababia people listened to this until they got angry

ma se-eŋ oliŋ tauŋ
and ol-eat groan selves
and were consumed with rage

ma sê-sôm lau Kuwi-ŋa gebe
and ol-tell people K.-of SAY
and they scolded the Kuwi people, saying

“Amac embe a-ŋgôm gêŋ amboac tonec
yup if yup-make thing like this
“If you do like this

ma a-kêŋ jaeŋ ê-ndêŋ aêac lau gamêŋ baliŋ-ŋa atom
and yup-send message em-to mip people place long-of not
then don’t send a message to us people from faraway places.

A-be a-ŋgôm asageŋ ê-jô aêac-ma lêŋ baliŋ
yup-say yup-make what em-afflict mip-our way long
What are you doing to make us come all this way

naŋ a-sêlêŋ gêbêc baliŋ e geleŋŋa.
that mip-walk night long till daybreak
that we walked all night long?”

Sê-sôm su
ol-scold FIN
They finished arguing

ma siŋ kê-pi ŋamalac
and fight em-upon humans
and fighting broke out among the men

ma sê-jac lau Nombaŋ samob e gê-bacnê.
and ol-hit people all till em-finish
and they beat all the Numbami until they were done.

Lau ŋagêdô naŋ siŋ gê-wa êsêac êliŋ-êliŋ sê-moa saleŋ.
People other that war em-divide ol scattered ol-stay bush
The other people, whom the fighting had scattered about, they stayed in the bush.

Sê-moa acgom
ol-stay first
They stayed away at first

ma sê-jac tauŋ sa sê-pi tageŋ kê-tiam
and ol-hit selves up ol-upon one em-again
and then gathered themselves up in one place again

ma sê-wi malac laŋgwa sing
and ol-carry village old away
and abandoned the old village

ma sê-êc sê-sa gwêc sê-ja.
and ol-lie ol-out sea ol-go
and stayed out at the seacoast.

Ja-sê-kwêc malac wakuc gê-êc gwêc
go-ol-dig village new em-lie sea
They went and built a new village on the seacoast

ma sê-sam tauŋ se-be Sibôma.
and ol-call selves ol-say S.
and called themselves Siboma.

Ma malac laŋgwa taŋ sê-wi siŋ,
and village old which ol-carry away
And the old village that they abandoned,

gêgwaŋ to ka kê-pi e gê-jam auc.
grass with tree em-up till em-hold covered
grass and trees have overgrown it.