[Mihalic] tree oil

[Bryant Allen]

Given the location of Kanjimei village, close to the mountains occupied by 
scattered groups of fringe Gadio Enga speakers, the tree oil is probably 
Campnosperma brevipetiolata  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.

However it could also be Aluerites (candlenut) or Pandanaus canoideus 
(marita in pidgin). Unlikely to be marita because it would be referred to 
as "marita".

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). Subsistence and Survival: Rural Ecology in the 
Pacific. Academic Press, London. pp. 245-271.

Dornstreich, M.D. (1973). An Ecological Study of Gadio Enga (New Guinea) 
Subsistence. PhD thesis. Columbia University, New York.

Powell, J.M. (1976). Ethnobotany. In Paijmans, K. (ed). New Guinea 
Vegetation. Australian National University Press, Canberra. p. 174

At 12:03 PM 3/02/2007 +1100, you wrote:
>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.

Dr Bryant Allen
Senior Fellow
Land Management Group
Department of Human Geography
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
The Australian National University
ACT 0200 Australia
http://rspas.anu.edu.au/lmg/
ANU CRICOS Provider Number is 00120C

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.anu.edu.au/pipermail/mihalic/attachments/20070203/8210250b/attachment.html