Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-12-15
sMoNo THE poLyNsslANs.
Their Habits and Customs Brewing the
National Drink--Ihs Pa, sfaircr-

1885, and sailed in her through the Col
den Gate the following month for an ex-
| tensivc cruise in the South Pacific, which
lasted over three years. His supply of
information shows that he has been a
close observer of the customs and habits
of the Polynesians AS a surgeon, he
was brought more intimately in contact
(. with them than others, and had the on
portunity OF becoming personally ac-
/ quainted with many of their strange
| doings, and he says some of his best
| friends have been formed among those
people. One of the most curious and in
teresting customs he told your correspon-
/ dent OF was that of kava drinking among
tho inhabitants Of the Samoan group Of
! islands. He spoke very highly of those
| people. and said they were the finest race
of people he had seen, the men being of
large and almost perfect physique, SYM
metrically proportioned, with straight,
I coarse black hair and a rich brownish
color. He also said the women were
even more attractive than the men, be-
cause of their mild manners, kind and
happy dispositions.
The custom of making, and the form
alities OF drinking the kava, as related
by the surgeon, was intensely interesting
and will be news to all readers. Kava,
he said, was a vegetable growth that
/ grew IA abundance on the islands belong
ing to the pepper family, and from the
! roots of this plant they made their ma
| tional drink OF kaya, by first chewing the
i root until it was well masticated, then
/ placing it ia q wooden basin which they
made for the purpose, and mixing it with
water, it was ready to be served out. He
said the first thought of this is always
! repulsiye to q civilized white man, and he
/ invariably refuses 10 drink of it when
j offered to him, but if he stays in the
islands long his prejudice is sure to be
overcome, and it is not great while be-
fore he becomes a convert and is fond of
the strange drink.
| In describing the process of brewing
the strange beverage he said young
1 girl, the most comedy and attractive in
household or village, was the one Sc
! lected to chew the root which would
first be thoroughly cleansed and broken
into small pieces suitable for the size of
the damsels mouth. Before commenc-
ing to masticate she would invariably
kiiOLOuShtN Nuoti Oub ilSI HlUull Will
| water in presence OF all the assembled
guests, and would then fold her graceful
person, a la Turk, upon mat spread on
the floor, and chew and chew, all in one
mouthful, until Il sufficient quantity
! would be ready. The hands, in the
meantime, having been also washed,
should receive the bolus, and with %
/ graceful motion dash it into the bowl,
made of wood, in the shape of tin wash
basin with four short feet, when the
water would be added and the chewed
root thoroughly mixed up with the hands
and by dexterous manner all the coarse
| particles removed. When the beer is
| adjudged to be completed by the fair
one, three vigorous clippings of the
hands all round signifies it is
ready to be served. Strange to
! say, the most punctilious etiquette
is observed in serving it, and for
the want of which many an irreparable
ofense, in the estimation of the true
Samoan, has been given. The honored
guest always receives the first bowl, and,
according to the dictation of an old chief,
the bead of the family or the master of
ceremonies. The nut brown maiden, d
blushing figure of symmetrical physical
beauty, presides at the bowl, Phoebe
| like, dishing out the Samoan nectar
A custom most closely related to this
peculiar habit, continued the doctor, is
that of pal eating by the natives OF the
! Sandwich or Hawaiian Islands. Pal is
| strictly Hawaiian, he said, and is eaten
! by every man. woman and child, from
| King kalakaua down, in those islands,
| and forms the mainstay of life for the
common people The habit is SO univer-
sally established that the native Hawaiians
are called and known by the name OF
! ''Pai-eaters."
/ There grows in ali the Pacific islands u
plant of the lily family, with large rich
leaves and straight, Dubious root, which
is full OF farinaceous food material,
which, together with bread fruit, forms
the staple Of life with the Polynesians,
/ taking the place of bread and potatoes.
1t is from this root that pal is made.
| Pal making is as much Of an Institution
and quite rs great necessity in the
| Sandwich Islands as bread making is il
the United States.
The pal maker to his Majesty Kalakaua
is regarded by him in favor next to his
chamberlain, and is a parsonage much
envied 1t is prepared fresh every day
by first roasting the taro roots, from
which it is made. MASKING and mixing it
with proper quantity of water, then
carefully strained to free it from all
Jumps, after which it is set aside to fer
ment. When fermentation advances TO
the proper degree it is ready to be sold to
the consumer. It is now either white,
pinkish or blue in color, according to the
kind of taro used in making, has the con-
sistency of thick -four starch. looks like
it, and, in fact, smells like it. It is
served in Koawood bowls, highly
polished and of different sizes, according
TO the tastes and capacity of the happy
eater Of pal.
The manner of eating pal is not, at
first, go distasteful to the stranger as
kava drinking, but TO perfectly refined
taste, according to our acceptance OF the
word, the first repast of raw fish which
is always eaten with pal is not happily
calculated TO sharpen tho appetite. The
bowl Of pal is placed III front Of the
guest OF tho household after he has
folded up his feet and legs and disposed
of them rs best he can. but not always to
his comfort and satisfaction, unless he
has learned the habit of resting in the
native style, is supposed 10 eat by stick
ing one, two OF three fingers in the pasty
mass which is stirred i'll circular mo-
ton until ball of it adheres to the
fingers, when they are removed, and by
Il strange, circular, twisting action given
the hand to force the fingers full Of pal
from that in the ball, it is lifted and
transferred to the mouth, where the
fingers are sucked perfectly free and
clean OF the pal, and as they are with
drawn noise is made which is unlike
any other, and can only be made by this
means.-Nashville Democrat.
.ausic central AFRICANS.
What pity it is that the travellers who
penetrate into the heart Of Africa are not,
as a rule, musical enough to notate the
I songs which are so interesting among