Rituál ‘matara’ (T: matarae) tuir Señor Maurício Manuel, Kura Kii (T: Kura Ema), Wai Daba, Berecoli. 

Señor Maurício la’os matan-dook, nia ema baibain maibé uza kostume tradisionál hanesan ema mate, ema oho, ema baku mate. Waima’a bolu mate hanesan ne’e ‘matara’. Ba ema mate [ho ema mate nia família sira] hanesan ne’e, nia fó ai-moruk. Depois nia promete tempu saur batar ka hare foun nia mak mai kumpre ida ne’e. Kumpre ho manu.

Nia foti ai-moruk husi ai-hun ida (W: nunu me, T: hali mean). Depois iha nia na’in uma lisan, nia tau hamutuk ai lia, au, bua, malus ho ai moruk (ai nia kulit ka abut) iha lok fatin, hamuluk ba matebian . Depois nia mamar hamutuk ai-moruk. Depois nia tafui ba ema moras ka ema ne’ebé atu kura. 

Ai-moruk nia foti depende moras. Nia uza deit rua: kuli ho abut:

Abut: kona ba ema halo sala, ema fekit, ema tau buat ruma iha dal, nia la’o depois kona. Ida ne’e uza abut.
Kulit: kona-ba lulik ruma, hanesan selu, taka tiha. Demone aat ruma estraga. Mós se uma lisan kona, fo moras ba nia. Uza kulit. 

Kona-ba  ema matebian, ema baku mate, ka ema oho tiha, ema sona mate, kareta soke hanesan derrepente, monu ho motor ka kareta derrepente. Ema seluk hanesan matan dook buka tuir, halo urat. Ida ne’e make hatete tanbasa ema mate (ema halo ka rai-na’in sira halo). Foufoun nia bá fatin ida ne’e akontese/ema mate, bolu nia klamar mai. Foti buat ruma husi fatin ida ne’e. Hanesan rai ka fatuk, lori ba. Depois ita hanesan deside fatin ruma atu foti ai-moruk. Tenke ai hun boot-hali mean (W: nun me). Ita kuda tiha símboli ruma (fatuk ka rai) iha hun nia okos, depois mak foti ai-moruk kura. Kuda kedas iha ai hun, se ema mak halo (fekit) nia foti abut atu kura fali nia. Depois bá hamulak iha uma lulik. Se lulik ruma mak halo  nia foti kulit atu kura fali nia. Depois bá hamuluk iha uma lulik hamutuk ho ai lia, au, bua, malus. Mamar tafui ba ema.

Nia la kua manu. Sira seluk kua manu kuandu kona, bolu Señor Maurico atu kura. Ema mate nia família bá buka urat ba fatin seluk, depois nia mak lori mai kasu iha ne’e. Señor Mauricio buka rasik lae. Sira mai hatene tiha ona. Tanba ida-ne’e, ida ne’e, tenke foti ona ida ne’e ba kura. Sempre hali mean, depende kulit ka abut, ho ai lia. 

Moras seluk bele maibé uza ai lia nafatin. Kona-ba moras seluk, bele uza ai seluk maibé tenke hamuluk nafatin. Se ain bubur bele uza ai kura maibé depende hamuluk. La hamuluk, forsa lae. Kuandu hamuluk ai -moruk vale ona. Forsa ne’e iha. Ai lia nafatin. Forsa husi uma lisan mós depende hamuluk. 
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[English - transcript of original interview]

Matara Ritual (Mauricio Manuel, Berecoli)

The ritual of Matara (responding to a ‘bad death’) 

“I am not a matan dook [literally one whose ‘eyes see far’ and someone associated with the dark world of divination via animal auguries]. I am an ordinary person but I assist in healing in cases of bad [accidental or unexplained] death and/or murder. When people have died like this I am the one who provides the medicine [to the family of the deceased].When I source and provide these medicines I must also promise to make a return offering to the ancestral spirits at the new rice of corn consecration ceremonies. For each case, I must repay the debt later by making an offering of a chicken. 

I take my medicine from one type of tree, we call it nunu me (a type of ficcus). Depending on the cause of the death this will be either a piece of the root or of the bark of the tree. Then I take this medicine to my sacred house. I bring as well ginger, lime powder, areca nut, betel leaves. I place them all in an offering basket and carry out a prayer to the ancestors of the house. Then I chew together these medicinal ingredients and spit the chew over the person in need of curing [a family member of the dead person].  

The medicine I take from the tree depends on the cause of the death. If the cause of death is sorcery or murder then I take the roots. If the cause of death is ancestral displeasure [which needs to be addressed] then I take the bark. 

So the range of things I cure include the effects of the displeasure of the ancestors, violent death and murder, and accidental deaths involving motor vehicles. People other than me, like matan dook, determine the cause of death, they carry out the augury. It is they who tell the family the cause of death. Then after they have come to me, I must go to the site of death and call the dead person’s spirit. Then I pick up a piece of soil, rock or another object from the site of death and take it with me to the base of the nunu me tree. This must be a big nunu me tree, either the one here connected to my sacred house or another close to the site of death. I bury the object at the base of the tree, then I collect the medicine from it. Then I go to my sacred house and carry out the prayers, chew the medicines and spit the chew on the person. 
I don’t sacrifice and read the internal organs of animals. Other people do that, then the family will come to me to do the curing. They find out the cause elsewhere and they come to me to overcome it and re-balance the situation. 
I can also cure other illnesses using other plants but I always use ginger as well. I always have to pray to the ancestors of the house. For example, a serious leg infection can be cured with other plants but it requires as well prayer. It is only with prayer that the medicine obtains its power. Without prayer it has no force. The force comes from the ancestors of the scared house”.