1966 • Nukuoro Atoll
Lina tells the story of Daabedoo, a ghost who scares a woman while she is sleeping. A benevolent spirit named Iaigausema stops Dabedoo, who claims that the goddess Dehinealigi commanded him to do it.
This story was recorded by Raymonde Carroll on Nukuoro Atoll in the spring of 1966. It appears as story number 11-2 in the published book of Nukuoro Stories (Carroll 1980).
Iaigausema dono momme hagamabu. Go lote ava i baasi i dua Boonibei. Go de ava o Madalanim. Ia e dagodo ai i dahi boo.
Gai dahi hahine ma dono bodu ne hulo e haangoda dono bodu i Moduilalo. Gai de hine laa e seni sogosogo. Gai Dabedoo ga humai. Ga hhanga ange dono aloalo ga hagatoo iho mee i ono lodo, gi honga luu mada o de hine laa. Gai de hine laa gu kona donu de madagu. Ia gu dai dee iloo donu i de basa. Gai ia ga basa i dono leo musumusu, ga hagaagahi, "I hee iai nei tangada nioona denga gano agau nei? Au ga magau nei donu."
Gai Iaigausema, gu langona e ia ssugi de leo o de hine nei. Gai ia ga hidi age ga humai, gi moolau. Gai ga humai huu e ia gu gidee e ia Dabedoo e hai be laa de hine laa. Gai ia ga poo Dabedoo ga maga gi lausedi. Gai ia ga hai ange. Hannoo donu iainei. Au kana dagahi ange goe gi buni ange gi denga gano agau i kinei nei. Agai Dabedoo ga dangidangi ange gi de ia ga hai ange, "Au de haihaia. E dee go au donu e lodo e haia mee nei. Gai go Dehinealigi e hai mai au e hagaagona, e hagaagona ngau gi haia."
Anaa ai donu huu agu momo mee e iloo.
The place where Iaigausema went to relax was the channel on the eastern side of Pohnpei. The channel at Madolenihmw. He was laying there one night.
So one woman and her husband went so her husband could fish at Moduilalo. And the woman fell asleep alone. Then Dabedoo came. He split open his side and made his organs fall out onto the woman’s face. And the woman became very afraid. She almost wasn’t able to speak. So she spoke in a whisper, and called out, “Where is the person who rules these islets? I am about to die.”
And Iaigausema heard the faint sound of the voice of this woman. So he stood up and came immediately. And when he came, he saw Dabedoo doing that to that woman. So he grabbed Dabedoo and threw him into the water. And he scolded him, saying, “Leave right now. Otherwise I will crush you with my foot and you will become part of the land here.” So Dabedoo apologized to him and said, “I am sorry. It was not really me who wanted to do this. It was Dehinealigi who made me, who commanded me to do this.”
Those are the few things that I know.