Tradition / Region: Papua New Guinea Mythology
Alternate Names: Basai, Kaibani
Category: Spirit
The Myth
On Paho Island there is a hollow place beneath the ground that answers when people stamp upon it. The earth itself gives back a deep echo, and for this reason the place is known as Basai’s drum. Nearby lies a stone called Basai’s stone, linked to the beeswax once fixed to drum skins to strengthen and purify their sound.
Some say that Basai is the name of the being who inhabits this place beneath the earth. Others tell that the spirit there is a woman named Kaibani, who lives beneath the stone. In earlier times, Kaibani was said to appear at the stone, seated and patiently working on a belt, her hands moving steadily as she wove.
The place is not only hers. The spirits of the dead pass by it on their journey to Adiri, and as they do, they dance around the stone. They beat Basai’s drum by leaping upon the hollow ground, causing it to resound beneath their feet.
In the past, whenever the Mawata people traveled to Paho Island to gather crabs and fish, they performed ritual dances at this sacred spot. The sound of the drum was taken as an omen. If the echo rang out clear and strong, the people believed their journey would be free of trouble. If the sound was dull or broken, hardship and difficulty were expected.
A verse from an old song preserves the memory of Kaibani and her work:
“Mother of Paho made the belt;
Kaibani’s belt was no good.”
Thus the drum, the stone, and the woman beneath the earth remain bound together—listening, answering, and foretelling the fate of those who pass through the island.
Gallery
Sources
Landtman, G. (1970). The Kiwai Papuans of British New Guinea: A nature-born instance of Rousseau’s ideal community.
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Basai and Kaibani