The Legend of Dog’s Hill - Mukawa Village
Many years ago there was no fire on the Mainland and the only way they cooked food, was by placing it on the rocks in the sun. This went on for a long time.
One day the people of Mukawa saw light on the Island of Goodenough and wishing to get some they decided to send a a young boy across. The young boy’s name was Arada. So they called Arada and instructed the young boy what he was to do.
Arada and his dog set off on a raft and eventually arrived at Goodenough. When they arrived, Arada went to a village. He asked the people in that village for some fire to take back to the Mukawa people so that the Mukawa could also have fire. The Goodenough people gave Arada a burning stick of fire and to avoid the possibility of the fire being put out on the journey back, the dog held the stick of wood in his mouth.
Unfortunately, on the way the weather became rough and a big wave swept across the dog's head and put the fire out. They returned to Mukawa without the fire.
The People of Mukawa decided to send Arada once again to Goodenough, and told Arada to explain to the Goodenough people that the fire they had initally sent had been put out by the sea on the way back.
Arada and his dog went back across to Goodenough. He went to the village and said to the people, “My younger brothers, will you give me some fire as the last one was put out by the sea on the way across?” but the village people took offense that Arada had addressed them as “My younger brothers” and refused to give him the fire so Arada had to return without fire and told the Mukawa people why he was not given the fire.
The people of Mukawa then decided to wait a little and then send Arada again. On the day Arada was to set off again, they gave him very careful instructions as to how he should address the Goodenough people. They told him to address them as, “My elder brothers” and not address them as younger brothers and offend them again. They also told him to go to a different village.
So Arada and the dog went back across and arrived safely on Goodenough Island. All the way across Arada kept reminding himself that he had to address the people upon landing as, “My elder brothers”.
When they arrived, Arada went to a different village. This time he addressed the people as “My elder brothers”, and the people from that village gave him the fire to take back to his people. They tied the fire to the dog’s head. Arada and the dog managed to across safely to Mukawa, without the fire being extinguished.
When Arada and the dog landed on the beach at Korokuro, the dog jumped off the raft and ran up the hill where the dry Kunai grass caught fire and burnt all the grass on the hill. The inland and other people saw the smoke and come down to Mukawa to investigate what was making the smoke. They got a bit of the fire to take back to their villages, and have not been without fire ever since.
The villagers believed this to be fossilized remains of the raft.
The dog lay down afterwards and died. Over the years, the ground covered him up and that is how fire came to the Mainland and how Dog’s Hill got its name.
Top of Dog's Hill
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