A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
In “Manubada’s Bride,” jealous companions abandon a young woman on an island submerged at high tide. A discarded mango stone rapidly becomes a refuge tree. Manubada, called a great fish hawk, finds her there and takes her as his bride. He brings raw fish but cannot provide the fire she needs. Their bird-child flies to her grieving father and guides his canoe back with cooking equipment and food. Mother and son leave the island; the son later departs after distinguishing his bird identity from the human household. The woman marries her earlier betrothed, and the narration closes by recalling the bird husband’s devotion.
“How the Twins killed Manubada” gives a sharply different encounter. Kototabe and Kelokelo seek revenge for their father’s death. They provoke the hawk at his cliff eyrie, then dive from their canoe as he attacks. His beak pierces and sticks in the wood; when he tires, they swim back, break his wings and kill him with clubs. A dracaena branch signals their success to their mother. Distribution of the cooked bird’s head and side explains different evasive movements in combat. The unnamed narrator identifies himself as a coast man and invokes his survival in battles. The two episodes are separately witnessed rather than combined into a single continuous biography.
Origins & earliest records
Annie Ker, Papuan Fairy Tales (London: Macmillan, 1910), pp. 57–63. Individual narrator unnamed.
Records & interpretation
Complete selected narrative read in digitized transcription; collector’s general northeastern village attribution retained.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Papuan Fairy Tales: Manubada’s Bride, pp. 57–60; How the Twins killed Manubada, pp. 61–63
Complete selected text inspected.
- 02
Papuan Fairy Tales: How the Twins killed Manubada, pp. 61–63
Complete second tale; unnamed narrator identifies himself as a coast man.
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.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary collected textKer 1910: Manubada’s Bride, pp. 57–60; How the Twins killed Manubada, pp. 61–63Research access: 2026-10-05
- Primary collected textKer 1910, Twins and ManubadaResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.