The Woman Who Became a Dugong

Dugongs are large, gentle sea mammals which feed on sea grass. When hunted, they are said to cry human tears. This is why it is said that dugongs used to be humans, and this is how it came to be:

There was a young woman who lived with her mother in the village of Ngerielb. One day, she became pregnant, and gave birth. One of her postpartum cravings was keam, or the Tahitian chestnut. However, her mother told her not to eat the keam as it would make her bloated and queasy.

The young woman resisted as much as she could, but one day when her mother was out, she gave into her cravings. She felt so guilty that when her mother returned home to discover what she had done, she ran to the end of the dock and jumped into the ocean, turning into a dugong. This story teaches us the importance of listening to our parents, who often are wiser than we are.