[Mihalic] A few comments on recent entries

[Thomas H. Slone]

Gutde!

Wau:
Some botanical information on definition #1 can be found at:
http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/wood/en/www/magelspp.htm
and
http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/wood/en/www/fagca-be.htm

Gam:
Bailer shell: Hinton (1977: 50) says the bailer shell is either of 
two species, Melo aethiopicus or M. umbilicatus.

Large cowrie shells: Hinton (1977: 11-16) says cowrie shells are in 
the genus Cypraea.

Garawa:
Some botanical information is available at:
http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/wood/en/www/dipan-me.htm
This page indicates an origin for the word as "WI", but I couldn't 
find what that means (West Indies??).

Lek: definition 4 is now "those parts of the roots of a tree that are 
above ground".  Isn't this likely to refer to a tree buttress as well?

Definition #8 should probably have a cross-reference to "marila".

Karim lek: The custom of karim lek was carried to the South Fore of 
Eastern Highlands Province by Simbu policemen, but was apparently 
short-lived (Alpers, 1992: 318).  Lobban (1985: 32) gives a 1-page 
description of karim lek, as described by Paraka Mara from the 
Mid-Wahgi area.

Other courtship customs are "kukim nus" and "tanim het" (practiced 
among in the Melpa and Tambul areas).  Lobban (1985: 31) describes 
tanim het as follows, "Boys and girls line up face-to-face. The boy's 
left ear is placed on the girl's right ear. The faces roll until the 
boy's right ear touches the girl's left ear."   Kukim nus, is 
practiced in the Highlands.  It is I suppose a kind of nose rubbing 
in courtship; does anyone know the details of this practice?

--Tom Slone

References
Alpers, Michael P. (1992). Kuru. In: Human Biology in Papua New 
Guinea: The Small Cosmos, Robert D. Attenborough & Michael P. Alpers, 
eds. Research Monographs on Human Population Biology 10. New York: 
Clarendon Press, pp. 313-334.

Hinton, Alan ([1977]). Guide to Shells of Papua New Guinea. Port 
Moresby: Robert Brown.

Lobban, William D. (1985). "A collection of children's singing games 
of Papua New Guinea." Oral History 13(2).
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