“In the beginning four beings, MElu and Fiuweigh-males, and Dwata and Saweigh (or sEwE or sEweigh)-females, lived on a small earth or island as large as a hat and called salnaon.  There were no trees or grass on this island, but they had one bird called Baswit.  They sent this bird across the waters to secure some earth, the fruit of the rattan and of trees.  When it returned MElu took the earth and beat it the same as a woman beats pots until he had made the land, then he planted the seeds in it and they grew.  When he had watched it for a time he said:  ‘Of what use is land without people’; so the others said, ’Let us make wax into people.’  They did so, but when they put the wax near to the fire it melted, so they saw they could not make man that way.  Next it was decided that they should use dirt, and MElu and Fiuweigh began to make man.  All. went well until they were ready to make the nose.  Fiuweigh who was making this part put the nose on upside down and when MElu told him that the people would drown if he left it that way he became very angry and refused to change it.  When he turned his back, MElu seized the nose quickly and turned it as it now is, and you can see where, in his haste, he pressed his fingers (at the root).

“The people they made were Adnato and Andawi, male and female.  These two had children, Tapi (or Mastafi) and Lakarol. (Informants disagreed here, part insisting that MEsa, Lakbang, and Mangarang were part of the first people made.) Their descendants were Sinudal (female), Moay (male), Limbay (female), Madinda (female), Sinnamoway (male), Kamansa (male), Gilay (female), Gomayau (male), Salau (male), Slayen (female), BaEn (female), Kanfal (female), Latara (male).”

[Transcriber’s note:  These identifications of male and female (in parentheses above and below) are all signaled in the text using non-ASCII symbols; the symbols for male or female were footnoted.]

The last was the father of Alimama, the chief informant of this tale.  Inok, dato of Labau, is also of this line, tracing his descent from Lakbang.

It is said that MElu and Saweigh now live below, Dwata and Fiuweigh in the sky.

A variation of this story credits MElu and Dwata with being the creators of Fiuweigh and SEweigh.  They were the ancestors of men, for they took earth and made it into the form of people and then whipped it until it moved.  The first people they made were Otis (male) and Lakbang (female).  Two of their children were Mastafi (male) and Lakarol (or Landol) (female).  From these two came all the Bila-an.  “These two lived in a small distant place and their one animal was Baswit—­a bird.  They sent him on a long journey and when he returned he brought a piece of earth and the fruit of a pandag tree.  Lakarol planted the fruit in the piece of earth and when it grew the leaves fell down and finally made the earth.”

From these tales and later questioning we learn the MElu, or MElE, is the most powerful of all the natural spirits and that his help is sought in times of calamity and at very important occasions.