ABSTRACT
1. Some of the words used for garden magic are not specific, but refer to magic in general. We shall have therefore to go somewhat beyond the scope of our present subject in order to show where the specific vocabulary of garden magic begins. The word megwa (n.), to which the English noun magic corresponds in a remarkably adequate way, is the most generic term. It means ‘the body of magical practices’, that is, ‘the body of magical rites and spells’; all the magic known to the islanders, all that is magical as opposed to any other form of human activity. In this sense they would predicate bayse megwa, bayse gala megwa, ‘this is magic, this is not magic’. In its sense of ‘body of magical practices’ the natives would speak of megwa towosi, ‘magic of the garden magician’, or megwa bagula, ‘garden magic’; megwa bwaga'u, ‘magic of sorcery’; megwa poulo, ‘magic of fishing’; megwa kabilia or kabilia la megwa, ‘magic of war’. In some such phrases the specific name of a type of magic can be used without the addition of the noun megwa. Thus ‘garden magic’ will be called simply towosi, ‘war magic’ borna, ‘black magic’ bwaga'u, and so on.
