LLX > Neil Parker > String Figures > Jayne
1. Position 1.
2. Pass thumbs away over far little finger strings, and then down, toward you under all strings, and back up, in a full twist.
3. Pass thumbs under near little finger string, and return.
4. Pass little fingers under far thumb string, and return.
5. Bend indexes down, and insert from above into the thumb-little-finger loops on the palms. Pick up the single palmar strings, and straighten the indexes.
6. Remove the string that passes straight from one thumb to the other from the thumbs, leaving the other thumb loops in place. Similarly, remove the string that passes straight from one little finger to the other from the little fingers, leaving the other little finger loops in place.
[Dickey 1928] translates okole-amo as "twitching anus." To demonstrate the twitching, alternately bring the fingers of each hand close together, and spread them widely apart.
Dickey also records two other ways of making similar figures.
1. Pick up the loop on the thumbs.
2. Pass little finger forward under thumb loop, pick up both thumb strings, and arrange new far little finger strings so that the former near thumb string is uppermost.
3. Pass thumbs away between upper and lower far little finger strings, and return with upper far little finger string.
4. Insert index from above into small thumb loops of the same hand, and pick up the near thumb strings that cross the palms to become little finger strings.
5. Do step 6 of the previous method.
The following variant is known in many places in the South Pacific, under a variety of names:
1. Position 1.
2. Bend indexes away from you, and pick up far little finger string.
3. Pass thumbs over near index string, and pick up far index strings (the ones that cross the palm to become little finger strings).
4. Turning the thumbs toward each other, then toward you, then up, let the original straight near thumb string slip off the thumbs.
Though all three of these methods produce similar-looking results, a close inspection shows that all three are different. Only the first method reproduces Jayne's illustration.
LLX > Neil Parker > String Figures > Jayne