Kapapitoe and the Lizard

Once upon a time, an old woman lived alone in a jungle; she had a lizard, which she
brought up as her child. When the Lizard was fully grown, he said to her,
“Grandmother, go to the House of Lise, where there are seven sisters. Ask for the eldest
of them for me as a wife.”
The old woman did as the Lizard requested and taking the bridal gifts with her, she
went off. When she came near the house, Lise saw her and said,
“Look, there comes Lizard’s grandmother with a bridal gift. Who would want to marry
a lizard? Not I!”
The old woman arrived and sat down in Lise’s house, whereupon the eldest sister gave
her betel. When the old woman’s mouth was red from chewing it, she asked,
“What have you come for, Grandmother? Why do you come to us?”
“Well, my child, I have come to present a bridal gift; perhaps it will be accepted,
perhaps not. That is what I have come to see.”
As soon as she had spoken, the eldest indicated her refusal by giving the old woman a
blow that knocked her across to the door, following it with another that rolled her down the
ladder.
The old woman picked herself up and went home. When she arrived home, the lizard
inquired,
“How did your visit succeed?”
“O, alas! I was almost killed! She would not accept it for you are only a useless lizard
in her eyes.”
“Do not be disturbed,” said he, “go tomorrow and ask for the second sister.”
The old woman did not refuse and went the following morning, only to be denied as
before.
Each day, she went again to another one of the sisters until the turn of the youngest
came. This time she did not listen to what Lise said and did not strike the old woman or drive
her away, but agreed to become Lizard’s wife. The old woman was delighted and said that
after seven nights she and her son would come.
When time had passed, the old woman arrived, carrying Lizard in a basket. Kapapitoe,
the youngest sister, laid down a mat for the old woman to sit on while she spread out the
wedding gifts. She gave the old woman food, and after she had eaten and gone home, she
remained as Lizard’s wife.
 The other sisters showed the lizard their disgust by their cruelty. They would wipe the
mud off their feet on Lizard’s back and tease him. But Kapapitoe would brush them off and
take care of the lizard.
After a while, the older sisters were making a clearing for the garden. When they had
gone to work, the lizard said to his wife,
“We have too much to bear. Your sisters tease us too much. Come, let us make a
garden. Carry me in a basket on your back, and gather seven empty coconut shells.”
Kapapitoe agreed and did as he requested. They went to the place which they were to
make ready for their garden.
The lizard scurried around and, using his tail, he lashed at the grass and trees, and
burned the whole area, making the clearing smooth and good. Kapapitoe built a house for
him with the seven coconut shells she had gathered.
The older sisters returned in the evening, saw the clearing, and wandered at it—
perceiving that it was ready for planting. When they got home, they said to Kapapitoe,
“You can’t go to the planting feast of Ta Datoe. Your husband is only a lizard,” and
again, they wiped their feet on him.
The next day, Lizard and his wife went once more to the clearing and saw that the
coconut shells had turned into slaves; whereupon the lizard said,
“Good, tomorrow evening we will hold the preliminary planting feast and the next, a
planting feast.”
Ordering his seven slaves to prepare food for the occasion, he said to his wife,
“Let us go to the river and get ready,” but upon arriving at the stream, they bathed far
apart. The lizard, taking off his animal disguise, became a handsome man dressed in
magnificent garments. When he came for his wife, she at first did not recognise him, but at
last was convinced. After she had been given costly new clothes and ornaments, they returned
to Lise’s house.
As they came back, the preliminary planting festival had begun, and many people were
gathered. The six sisters said,
“Tell us, Grandmother, who is that coming? She looks so handsome, and her sarong
rustles as if rain were falling.”
The old woman replied, “That is your youngest sister, and there comes her husband
also,” whereupon, overcame with jealousy, they ran to meet their handsome brother-in-law
and vied with each other for the privilege of carrying his betel-sack.
 Next day was the planting, his sisters-in-law would not let the him go in company with
his wife, and made him angry. Accordingly, when Lise and the sisters were asleep, the lizard
got up and woke Kapapitoe up. Taking a stone, he laid four pieces of bark upon it and
repeated a charm,
“If there is power in the wish of the six sisters who wipe their feet on me, then I shall,
when I open my eyes, be sitting on the ground as I am now. But if my wish has power, when
I open my eyes, I shall be sitting in my house and looking down on all the other houses.”
When he opened his eyes, he was seated in his house atop the mountain; for the stone
had grown into a great rock, his house on top of it. His sisters-in-law tried to climb the cliff,
but in vain, and so had to give up. Meanwhile, he and Kapapitoe lived happily ever after.