Page:The Melanesians Studies in their Anthropology and Folklore.djvu/171

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ix.]
New Hebrides.
149

a storm at sea, a spell that works by the supernatural power residing in the words and in the names of the spirits mentioned. When in distress and danger they call to a dead father or friend, 'Take care of your canoe and mine,' it is a cry, not a tataro. The word is also used in Whitsuntide and Lepers' Island, and with probably the same limited application in strict native usage.