The Magic Of The Red Paint

Two stories from New Guinea

By Nath Alia Bumamai

During the early hours of the morning, 1 could hear my elder brother already out of bed, combing his hair and humming a happy tune at the same time. From his excite ment I gathered he had already been down to the beach. This was very unusual for him to be up and dressed so early in the morning.

I had always accompanied my brother wherever he went, but for the last couple of days 1 had been ignored, and he was going out alone and returning home late at night.

He had asked me to trim his hair and he looked quite smart with his new hair style. I was thinking to my self that these days he seemed un usually excited, and I was becoming suspicious.

“Wake up and find my basket,” he called. 1 was taken aback by surprise and fear gripped me, because lately he seemed to have changed and very quickly could become angry with me.

Now he was shaking me violently.

“Where is my basket?” he de manded. He pushed me outside but I had difficulty in seeing as the morning light was dim and I was still suffering from the shock of the violent shaking he gave me. We were both outside searching for the basket.

I found it at last and handed it over to him and he became quiet again.

“What’s so important about the basket that you have to wake me in the early morning like this?”

“You’re getting older now and you should know something about our village people and their customs— how they do magic for certain things under certain circumstances. Waking early this morning is very important to me because what I have in this basket has regulations to be followed and will help get a wife. You see, during the last few days, when I was away, I met two men. When I saw them first they were doing some thing strange, so I squatted on the ground to get a closer view of them.

I could see the two girls working very hard in their garden under the heat of the tropical sun. It occurred to me, that these men might be do ing something to attract the girls’ attention. After a long time, when

the girls were resting, one of the men gave a loud, shrill cry. The girls turned and looked in the direction from which the sound came. Suddenly the boys jumped out and shook their heads at them. The girls were frightened and ran away.

“When the boys turned around I could see they were laughing and enjoying themselves, and I noticed that their faces were all red. I knew at once this might be the secret of the young men, ‘The red paint magic’.

I called the men, and by their voices I could tell they were very happy. I talked with them for some time then they asked me to come with them for the night to see if their magic worked.

That same night the two girls came and they all talked late into the

night.

“After the next night I decided I wanted to try the magic myself, so

one of the men gave me some of his magic powder with instructions to keep it in his basket. He also told me to wake up early in the morning before anybody else, then wash and dress quickly. To prepare the magic paint he told me to mix a little water with the powder and at the same time say some magic words over it and call the name of the girl I want for my wife. Then I am to rub some of the paint on both of my cheeks, and this is what you see me doing now.

“Go to the beach, my brother, and get some fish for us, for tonight through the magic of the red paint, you’ll have a sister-in-law with you.”

That same evening, I was only too glad to sit down and watch, while Hera, my sister-in-law, did our cook ing and washing for us. (An original story based on the custom of the “Red Paint Magic”).