"nokoti" is a forest spirit common in fore folklore. a nokoti is portrayed as a tall masculine man carrying a small axe or small bag that contains his magical power. a nokoti would live in an isolated mysterious part of the forest, such as an unusual rock formation or misshaped tree. the area in which nokoti live ("ples masalai" in melanesian) is considered sacred and should not be disturbed. any person that intrudes would be afflicted with illnesses caused by the nokoti kionei (nikoti's poison). for example, if a family with a child slept overnight in the ples masalai, the nokoti would steal and hide a lock of the child's hair. if the hair wasn't found, then the child would die from illness. adults would not die, but their genitalia would become inflamed.