Tradition: Papua New Guinea Mythology
Alternative Names: Hiwai-abere, Hiwai abere
Category: Forest dweller
The Myth
The Hiwai-abere are wicked female beings from Papuan mythology, described as having bodies like those of ordinary women but with very fat faces, large heads, and short legs. Their fingernails resemble spears, and their teeth are sharp and long. They can kill people by striking them with their fingernails, which are capable of breaking through walls. The Hiwai-abere are also skilled at disguising themselves, sometimes assuming the appearance of ordinary women to deceive men and enter their homes.
The Hiwai-abere are known for using deception to disrupt marriages. They may approach a married man and make themselves appear to be his wife, replacing her without the husband realizing what has happened. However, they cannot fully imitate a woman’s property or possessions, and these differences can expose their disguise. In some stories, they attempt to marry men by taking the place of their wives, but their schemes are eventually discovered and their true nature revealed.
A group of five Hiwai-abere once tried to capture a man named Koudábo. They transformed themselves into fruits and invited him to pick them, hoping to eat him when he came close. The eldest spirit removed one of her fingernails and concealed it inside a fruit, intending to use it to pierce the man’s flesh. Koudábo escaped their trap, and the spirits pursued him in different animal forms. They eventually transformed themselves into five dogs and were carried away after being speared by Koudábo and his companions. Their powers of disguise and transformation made them dangerous hunters, but their tricks could also be defeated by those who recognized their deception.
Sources
Landtman, Gunnar. The Kiwai Papuans of British New Guinea: A Nature-Born Instance of Rousseau’s Ideal Community. New York: Johnson Reprint Corp., 1970. https://archive.org/details/kiwaipapuansofbr0000land