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Given the location of Kanjimei village, close to the mountains occupied
by scattered groups of fringe Gadio Enga speakers, the tree oil is
probably <i>Campnosperma brevipetiolata</i> also known as tigasso.
The oil from this tree is used in Enga and elsewhere as a body decoration
and for ceremonial and ritual purposes.<br><br>
However it could also be <i>Aluerites</i> (candlenut) or <i>Pandanaus
canoideus</i> (marita in pidgin). Unlikely to be marita because it would
be referred to as "marita".<br><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times">Dornstreich, M. (1977). The
ecological description and analysis of tropical subsistence patterns: an
example from New Guinea. In Bayliss-Smith, T.P. and Feachem, R. (eds).
<i>Subsistence and Survival: Rural Ecology in the Pacific</i>. Academic
Press, London. pp. 245-271.<br><br>
Dornstreich, M.D. (1973). An Ecological Study of Gadio Enga (New Guinea)
Subsistence. PhD thesis. Columbia University, New York.<br><br>
Powell, J.M. (1976). Ethnobotany. In Paijmans, K. (ed). <i>New Guinea
Vegetation</i>. Australian National University Press, Canberra. p.
174<br><br>
</font>At 12:03 PM 3/02/2007 +1100, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Awiakay myths (Kanjimei village,
East Sepik Province) often mention a tree called *tomba*, which people
translate into Tok Pisin as 'oil diwai'. Would anyone know the Latin /
English name of this tree? Its sap is used for smearing bows and arrows
and people say they also put it on wounds. I have photos of the tree and
its leaves and can mail them to anyone who would be able to recognise
it.</blockquote>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
Dr Bryant Allen<br>
Senior Fellow<br>
Land Management Group<br>
Department of Human Geography<br>
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies<br>
The Australian National University<br>
ACT 0200 Australia<br>
<a href="http://rspas.anu.edu.au/lmg/" eudora="autourl">http://rspas.anu.edu.au/lmg/<br>
</a>ANU CRICOS Provider Number is 00120C<br><br>
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