1966 • Nukuoro Atoll
Otto tells the story of Iaidebaba, who defeated a group of foreigners that had settled on the islet of Dahangadabu. When the foreigners were defeated, they swam into the water and drowned, and coral heads grew from their bodies in a line extending out toward the lagoon.
This story was recorded by Raymonde Carroll on Nukuoro Atoll in the spring of 1966. It appears as story number 11-3 in the published book of Nukuoro Stories (Carroll 1980).
De masavaa nei gai au e damaa tala age hogi momo mee agu e iloo i taalanga o Iaidebaba. E dahi vaga henua gee ne dau i dua luu Dahanga. Aagai denga gau mai vaga ga loo iho ga nnoho i Dahangadabu. Gai gilaadeu ga nnoho huu i Dahangadabu, gai gilaadeu ga helau de gau i de henua gi dee iloo i de hulo gi modu. Gilaadeu ga nnoho i de modu laa ga helau mai ai laa dai denga modu laa alodahi gu dagodo be se ahi laa. Gai dangada e hulo e hai alaadeu mee, ga dae-a adu huu luu modu nnui, gai gu dee maua i de hulo gi ngaiho. Gu mahana mai denga helau a denga gau mai vaga laa. Gai dangada ga aahe mai gi Hale. Ga lava gu dee iloo de hulo e hai mee a dangada gi de bido gi ngaiho, i denga modu i ngaiho.
Ga lava gai denga eidu alodahi o Nuguolo ga loomai e hagatale de hulo e oha de mee laa. Gai ga hulo hulo huu denga eidu e dee maua donu e gilaadeu. Ga lava ga hai ange Iaidebaba, “Dugua mai gi de au gi hano agina. Gai gimaadeu ma ogu gau ga hulo nei agina.” Ga lava gai gilaadeu ga hulo.
Ga loo adu huu gai ui adu gi ngaiho o Tuila, gai gu gidee mai e denga gau mai vaga i Dahanga, gu loo adu loo. Gai gilaadeu ga helau, ga hagammahi de helau ga gaamai. Gai de ahi ga humai, ga humai huu ga dau i Iaidebaba ma ono dangada, gai gilaadeu gu baakuu gi lalo. Gu baakuu gi honga de gelegele. Gai gilaadeu ga hulo, hulo laa lalo de baba, laa lalo de henua, ga seesee ai ga loo adu. Aagai de gau i modu ga hagataba gu maakau. Gu dee vaa loomai.
Gai gilaadeu ga loo adu loo adu, gai gilaadeu ga ea gi lunga i dahi modu angeange, kii ange de baa ange. Gai de gau i modu ga kalo mai. “Oo! Gu kii ange de paa mai.” Gai gilaadeu ga helau. Gu baakuu. Gu baakuu gi lalo. Gai gilaadeu ga hulo gi lalo. Ga seesee adu. Ga kii adu ange gi ngaiho, gai gilaadeu ga ssao age. Ga tuu gi lunga. Ga kalo mai de gau laa kii ange de paa adu.
Ga hai ai be laa ga loo adu loo adu loo adu loo adu, de hanonga hagaodi ne baakuu ai, ne baakuu i dai Ahuilodo. Gai gilaadeu ga tuu age huu i de hanonga laa, gu tuu age i bido i angaiho, Ahuilodo. Gai gilaadeu ga helau hagammahi. Gai gilaadeu ga hagabaakuu gi lalo. Dee gidee. Hiihidi age huu i de hanonga laa, gu hiihidi age i ma Tahangahainoo.
Gai ga hiihidi age huu i mate Dahangahainoo, gai denga gau mai vaga, ga soosobo ga saavini ga ssulu gi lausedi, ga kau gi de lodo. Ga hulo ai, go Sualei hugadoo e mua gi dai. Ga lava gai denga daane ange laa, ga hagatau adu laa olaadeu ngauda, delaa tangada mmahi go Sualei maua gi mao dai. Aagai de gau laa e hedae alodahi donu de ssoe be laa.
Gai denga daane alodahi ga maakau gu maalemo ga aabulu gi lalo i taalea, gai ga ssomo ... ga aapulu huu ga hulo gi tagelo de moana, gai gilaadeu ga ssomo age, olaadeu manu ea i olaadeu angaanga. Denga daane nei. Delaa ai, ne hai ai naa denga manu ea e hagatau naa laa dai modu naa, go denga daane de moni o Sualei. Aagai go Sualei hugadoo e mua gi dai.
Aanaa ai, daalanga o Iaidebaba agu e longo, ama agu e maanadu, agu e longo mai i daho de gau maadua. Aanaa ai huu momo mee e iai laa daalanga o Iaidebaba agu e iloo. Gu odi ai loo.
Right now, I will talk a little bit about the few things that I know of the story of Iaidebaba. There was a foreign canoe that arrived on the ocean-side of the two Dahangas. And the people from the canoe came down and stayed on Dahangadabu. And when they stayed on Dahangadabu, they bewitched the people on the island so that they could not come to that islet. They stayed on that islet, and bewitched the lagoon-side of all those islands to seem like a fire. So when people came to do their work, when they reached those two islets, they couldn’t go any further north. It was hot from the magic of the foreign people. So people returned to the main islet. So, they did not know how to go to the north side to do their work, to the northern islets.
Then all the ghosts of Nukuoro came and tried to go and break that spell. But the ghosts tried and tried, and they weren’t able to do it. Then, Iaidebaba said, “Allow me to go there. Me and my people will go there.” And so, they went.
As they came and passed over the north side of Tuila, those foreigners on Dahanga saw them coming. So they did magic, strengthened the magic, and brought it. So the fire came and came and when it reached Iaidebaba and his people, they fell down. They fell down on the beach. They left, and went down under the seabed, under the island, and continued to walk toward them. And the people on the islet said that they died. They couldn’t come anymore.
But they came and came, and they rose up to the surface on another islet, which was closer to them. And the people on the islet looked at them. “Oh! They’re closer now.” So they did magic. They fell. They fell below. So they went underneath. And they walked toward them. They came further north, and they came back up. They stood up. When those people looked, they were even closer.
So they continued like that, and came and came and came, and the last time that they fell, they fell on the lagoon-side of Ahuilodo. And when they stood up that time, they stood up on the north side of Ahuilodo. And they did strong magic. So they made themselves fall down below. They couldn’t see them. When they got up that time, they got up in front of Dahangahainoo.
When they got up in front of Dahangahainoo, the foreign people jumped up and ran and dove into the water, and swam in the lagoon. They continued to swim, but it was Sualei who was the furthest into the lagoon. And so those other people lined up toward the inland side, and the strongest man Sualei was able to go furthest into the lagoon. And all those other people lined up straight like that.
Then all the men died and drowned and sank down from fatigue, and grew... when they sank and went down to the bottom of the ocean, then coral heads grew up from their bodies. These men. And so, that’s how the coral heads were formed which are lined up on the lagoon-side of those islets, it’s the men of Sualei’s canoe. And it’s Sualei who is the furthest into the lagoon.
So that’s the story of Iaidebaba that I heard, and that I remember, that I heard from the older people. Those are the few things from the story of Iaidebaba that I know. That’s all.