So in the evening, the leader of
the Ngara-Kerisebsub told her ladies to allow the ladies from the
other village to take a bath first because they have to go to the
stream or the well, which they did. When it was their turn, she told
them "after you finish bathing, on the way back to the back (where
they were staying) please take a branch of a tree, any tree and take
it with you.
Then both groups of ladies from
Oikull of Airai and from Ngermeskang of Ngeremlengui slept in the
big bai, which was like a common lodging area during those times.
The head of the Oikull lades, Dirratkelkang, told her ladies "after
everybody falls asleep, you put the twig underneath your blanket."
In those days, they slept on a
mat, then there was another mat which was used as a blanket.
It's formed line an A-frame, so when you sleep, it covers all the
way. So when they fall asleep, "you put the twig to keep it up
so that it looks like you're still sleeping, and then I will open
the floor."
Because the floorboards were
placed against the support beam instead of nailed, it was possible
to open the floor. "Then you sneak out of the house, and then you
will find the home of every chief of the village and try to win
their favors and I shall be responsible for the High Chief of this
village."
"That night, after supper, the
female head of the rival village, Mara-gos Swit, told then "let's
have supper and tomorrow we'll go do negotiations with the chiefs of
the village and we'll see who'll get it." And then when everybody
was fast asleep, the head of the Airai-Oikull group woke everybody
up and they snuck out. She told them "you will negotiate, and each
one is assigned to each chief. It's your turn to negotiate a deal
tomorrow before they wake up." So they did their nightly
negotiations, each one to each of the ten chiefs, and Dirratkelkang
went to the head of the village, whose title was
Reblu"
With the deal was secured and
sealed that night, they came back and slept until the next morning.
They then went to the pier and they were to do the rowing
demonstrations. The Association of the Curls, the Oikull Ladies,
said "let the other village go first." So the other women rowed the
war canoe toward their village in Ngeremlengui and back three times.
They were supposed to leave all their belongings on the pier so the
owners of the canoe know nobody would run away with it.
When the Airai-Oikull group's turn
came, the head lady told them "leave all the baskets and your
handbags on the pier, just take the most valuable things you have."
And then they rowed toward Airai and back, two times. Then the third
time, they just came all the way! That's why the lady on the pier is
standing waving, and asking the chief "how come they are leaving?"
How come they're going all the way home?"
And the chief said, "well when
your turn came, you should have taken the canoe. It's too late."
Because you know, he couldn't quite divide the canoe into two
pieces. So the ladies went all the way to Airai because those ladies
are famous for negotiations in Palau. Perhaps because of the
femininity, but that's a well known story. So "beware of the
ladies".
