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OCTOBER, 1897.]
NOTES ON THE NICOBARESE.
275
Table of certain common verbs and adverbs having suffixes indicating
direction or motion.
North (also Above)
ta-ngale
South ta-ngange
East ta-ngahne
1 West (also Below)
ta-ngaiche
Landing-place
ta-ngaige
(of some object in a 11ortherly direction) shiri ngale
Like that
(of some (of some object in & object in an
southerly easterly direction) direction) shiri ugauge shiri ng&hae
(of some object in a
nvesterly direction) shīri ngaiche
(of somn
object without reference
to its direction) shiri ane
(of some object in direation of landing place) shiri ngaiñe
northwards
southwards eastwards
westwards
towards the in any landing place direction
af-al
GO Ascend a hill Ascend a hill
af-al o-le ö-le
Go
Arrive
tang-la chiat-la
Climb a tree Bring Ascend a ladder
af-ang af-ahat af-aich
af-ain af-at af-aich (descend a hill) 0-she
(descend a hill) 7-nge 5-he 7-she
7-te
o-te tang-nga tang-hat tang-she
tang-re tang-ta chiat-she
(descend a tree) kai-hanga kai-hahat kai-hashe kai-haiñe kai-hata
chuak-shire 12
(descend a ludder) kai-ngare kai-hare kai-shire
kai-wire kai-tare òid-ngare did bare òid-shire
did-ñire did-tare dâh-ngare dâh-hare dāb-shire dāh-nire dāh-tare
Come
kai-hala chuak-lare kai-lare did-lare dah-lare
Hither Thither
5. Steering Courses by Sun and Stars. The acquaintance of the Nicobarese with the heavenly bodies is very limited, and such little knowledge as they possess is confined to the more intelligent of the elder members of the various communities who are able to identify a few of the more striking of the constellations, planets and stars, to wit, the Pleiades, Orion's Belt, the Southern Cross, Ursa Major, and Venus.
When travelling by night which usually is only done in the calm weather breaks (koi-kapá and kõi-ilue), occurring respectively in April and October - they take advantage of such knowledge as they possess of the position of certain stars in reference to the situation of the neighbouring islands, to steer their course thereby. The islands thoy are in the habit of visiting most frequently are in no case more than 48 miles distant - in other cases ranging from 8 to 35 miles and as care is taken to arrange sach trips, whenever possible, only while calm weather is assured and daring neap tides - in order to escape strong currents and dangerous tide-rips, their dependence on the stars for guidance is limited to the firyt half of the longest voyages, after which intervening islets or lofty bills, which then loom in view, are naturally preferred as sarer indications of the correctness of the course. In these night voyages the polar-star is chosen as & guide by the natives of the Central and Southern Groups when visiting Chowra and Nancowry respectively, and by the natives of Chowra when steering for. Car Nicobar; while the Southern Cross directs the Car Nicobarese voyagers in their expeditions to Chowra, and also the natives of the Central Group in their trips to Little
11 It should be mentioned that one but the elderly members of the community venture to betray any know edge of this subject, it being among their superstitions that acquaintance or familiarity with such matters tends to shorten their lives, or at the least to age them in some mysterious manner. It is consequently only from certain of the more intelligent of the old people that any trustworthy information on these points can be gathered.
