[Mihalic] TUPELA MARET I HOLIM PAS TEVEL MAN

[Ngawae Mitio]

Dear Eby Mark,

I think the original meaning of tevel was a reference to 'spirit'- good or bad. Thus if one had a dream saw a dead relative. It would be the tevel of the relative. I think the use of spirit in Tok Pisin today is a recent influence of English. Thus today one hears preachers talking about spirit man - to mean the inner man, the soul, the spirit, etc., but tevel bilong man was also used to mean the same subject in the past. I think tevel and devil or evil did not necessarily mean the same things in the past.

Ngawae Mitio
Language and Communication Studies,
University of Technology
Lae, PNG.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eby Mark" <markeby at azbri.com>
To: <mihalic at anu.edu.au>
Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2009 12:18 PM
Subject: [Mihalic] TUPELA MARET I HOLIM PAS TEVEL MAN


> TUPELA MARET I HOLIM PAS TEVEL MAN
> 
> This inscription is on a painting by Thomas Umba. It shows a man and  
> a woman holding a pink creature that's primarily a face and what  
> looks like two legs and three arms. The obvious translation would be  
> "A married couple capture a devil man"  but I'm thinking that might  
> be too literal. Should "tevel man" be translated as "spirit" or "evil  
> spirit" in this context?
> 
> Input appreciated.
> 
> 
>


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> 
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> 
> Mark Eby
> PO Box 1571
> Venice, CA 90294
> http://www.azbri.com/reel09/HD.mov
> 310-962-2463
> 
> 
> 
> 
>


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