As the date fixed for the arrival of the Dobuans approached, the excitement grew. Little by little the news arrived, and was eagerly received and conveyed to me: „Some sixty canoes of the Dobuans are coming”, „the fleet is anchored off Tewara”, „each canoe is heavily laden with food and gifts”, „Kauyaporu sails in his canoe, he is toli’uvalaku, and has a big pandanus streamer attached to the prow”. A string of other names followed which had very little meaning for me, since I was not acquainted with the Dobuan natives. From another part of the world, from the Trobriands, the goal of the whole expedition, news reached us again: „To’uluwa, the chief of Kiriwina, has gone to Kitava — he will soon come back, bringing plenty of mwali”. „The Sinaketans are going there to fetch some of the mwali”. „The Vakutans have been in Kitava and brought back great numbers of mwali”. It was astonishing to hear all this news, arriving at a small island, apparently completely isolated with its tiny population, within these savage and little navigated seas; news only a few days old, yet reporting events which had occurred at a travelling distance of some hundred miles.
It was interesting to follow up the way it had come. The earlier news about the Dobuans had been brought by the canoes, which had fetched the sago to Gumasila from the main island. A few days later, a canoe from one of the main island villages had arrived here, and on its way had passed the Dobuans in Tewara. The news from the Trobriands in the North had been brought by the Kuyawa canoe which had arrived a couple of days before in Nabwageta (and whose visit to Nu’agasi I have described in Chapter XI). All these movements were not accidental, but connected with the uvalaku expedition. To show the complexity, as well as the precise timing of the various movements and events, so perfectly synchronised over a vast area, in connection with the uvalaku, I have tabulated them in the Chart, facing this page, in which almost all the dates are quite exact, being based on my own observations. This Chart also gives a clear, synoptic picture of an uvalaku, and it will be useful to refer to it, in reading this Chapter.
In olden days, not less than now, there must have been an ebulition in the inter-tribal relations, and a great stirring from one place to another, whenever an uvalaku Kula was afoot. Thus, news would be carried rapidly over great distances, the movements of the vast numbers of natives would be co-ordinated, and dates fixed. As has been said already, a culminating event of an expedition, in this case the arrival of the Dobuan fleet in Sinaketa, would be always so timed as to happen on, or just before, a full moon, and this would serve as a general orientation for the preliminary movements, such as in this case, the visits of the single canoes.
Time-table of the uvalaku expedition, dobu to Sinaketa, 1918
The previous uvalaku
September, 1917 — The expedition, led by Kouta’uya, from Sinaketa to Dobu.
Preparatory stage
Oct. 1917–Feb. 1918 — Building of new canoes and repairing of old ones, in the district of N.W. Dobu.
Feb.–March, 1918 — Sago making, collecting of trade and food.
Middle of March — Launching, fitting and loading of the canoes; preliminary magic.