when papua new guinea was colonized, the nokoti changed to become less of a benefactor and more of a criminal. the appearance of nokoti became lankier, sometimes maimed if the nokoti was injured during his earlier crimes. this change in nokoti folklore reflects the shift from the indigenous hunting culture to the capitalist culture of the colonies. one of these new tales tells of a nokoti entering a village and stealing a woman's skirt and her shells and beads. he then returns to the forest where he dresses a tree with his stolen clothes. a hunter spots him and returns to the village to collect the other men, but when they return to capture the thief, the nokoti isn’t there and the stolen traditional valuables cannot be reclaimed. another tale describes a nokoti who was captured and sent to australia while robbing a local store. other tales tell of the nokoti stealing the money that a "kiap" (a patrol officer) was using to pay his employees or attacking huts and members of the patrol.