| Description |
Paper wasps are feared and their nests are avoided in a big circle when spotted in the bush, but are not considered as dangerous when they make nests in people’s houses, as the village-dwelling ones are said to be used to people. Their nests are sometimes nevertheless destroyed and removed from the sago-stem walls or from the sago thatch shingles of the roofs.
This string figure represents a paper wasp building its nest. While making the string figure, a talkative string figure-maker would tell a story of a paper-wasp who’s building a nest in order to lay eggs and have young ones. But when she’s done, people come and disturb them. The wasps start swarming and buzzing angrily, and are ready to run away. The string figure-maker says that they will sting people. At this point she/he starts undoing the figure, which means that wasps are flying out one by one, running away from perceived danger. When all the loops are undone, the string figure-maker tells that all the wasps have run away.
Images:
02: Toŋgayk tay ‘Paper wasp’s nest’, final design of the string figure
03: toŋgayk tay ‘paper wasp’s nest’,
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