hovatu-koiari
In Orokaiva belief, the spirit of a stillborn or aborted child. The spirit is a foot high and has a long tail, which drags as it walks and is thrown over the shoulder when it sits down. It lives in the sago swamps and can sometimes be heard singing a plaintive song while scraping sago.
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References
Source
- Leach, Maria, ed. (1984). Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend. New York: HarperCollins.