A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

While Kamakajaku is gathering seawater, the surface bubbles and sounds as a very large Kombili approaches. Codrington glosses the word as King-fish without giving a modern scientific identification. It swallows the man and carries him eastward toward the place of sunrise.

At a shallow shore the fish thrashes. The swallowed traveller recognizes the approach to land, uses obsidian kept in his ear to cut through its belly, and emerges into brightness. His subsequent meeting with the speaking Sun and journey to the heavenly village follow the escape. No later recovery or further biography is supplied for the fish.

Very large King-fish in the translationSwallows a living travellerEastward voyage toward sunrise
01

Origins & earliest records

R. H. Codrington, The Melanesians (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1891), Chapter XIX, II.1, pp. 365–366. Chapter XIX identifies islander-written manuscripts as its basis, without naming each individual contributor.

02

Records & interpretation

Complete relevant selected tale or explicitly abridged footnote read. Local identity, separate versions and unnamed narrator limitations retained.

In the literature

“cut asunder the belly of the Kombili”
R. H. Codrington; selected manuscript writer unnamed · The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-lore
Chapter XIX II.1, p.365; escape · R. H. Codrington

As the fish thrashes in shallows, the swallowed traveller recognises a possible beach and uses obsidian carried in his ear to cut through its belly. He emerges into brightness and subsequently meets the speaking Sun. The full story later returns the man to Gaji, but does not supply a recovered or resumed life for the fish after cutting.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    The Melanesians, Chapter XIX, II.1, pp. 365–366

    R. H. Codrington, translator/compiler; unnamed local manuscript writer · 1891

    Published collected witness; modern oral/community variants not exhausted.

  2. 02

    The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-lore

    R. H. Codrington; selected island manuscript writer unnamed · 1891

    R. H. Codrington, The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-lore, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1891; University of Toronto historical scan/OCR. Complete selected Chapter XIX II.1–2 and III.14–17 narratives and the complete separately marked Qat-wuruga manuscript abstract independently read. Chapter XIX p356 says stories except the first derive from islanders’ manuscripts supplied to him; no individual writer supplied for these selected accounts. Original manuscripts not independently inspected.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Located primary passages

Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.

The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-lore

R. H. Codrington, The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-lore, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1891; University of Toronto historical scan/OCR. Complete selected Chapter XIX II.1–2 and III.14–17 narratives and the complete separately marked Qat-wuruga manuscript abstract independently read. Chapter XIX p356 says stories except the first derive from islanders’ manuscripts supplied to him; no individual writer supplied for these selected accounts. Original manuscripts not independently inspected.

  1. A very great fish, glossed King-fish, approaches with bubbling and sounding water while Kamakajaku collects seawater. It swallows him and carries him east toward sunrise. The historical common-name gloss does not independently determine a modern species.

    Chapter XIX II.1 The Story of Kamakajaku, Bugotu, Ysabel, p.365; swallowing

  2. As the fish thrashes in shallows, the swallowed traveller recognises a possible beach and uses obsidian carried in his ear to cut through its belly. He emerges into brightness and subsequently meets the speaking Sun. The full story later returns the man to Gaji, but does not supply a recovered or resumed life for the fish after cutting.

    Chapter XIX II.1, pp.365–366; escape and later journey

Original island manuscript not inspected; unidentified narrators not invented. Specific local version, not present community consensus. No ceremonial formulas copied; facsimile not visually checked in this batch.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Primary collected textCodrington, Chapter XIX, II.1, pp. 365–366Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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