The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1888-05-15
THE sAdoANs FAMOUS DRINK.
How tho beverage is Manufactured.
Story told by a Traveller.

The mode OF living OIL Samoans is
very simple, and days pass sometimes
without Samoan partaking Of any
hot food. Cocoanuts, bananas, pine
apples, yam and more particularly the
bread fruit, once in a while some fish
nd piece of hog, especially when it
happens to be one Of your wllite
neighbours hogs, conclude the simple
bill of fare. One Of the greatest bever.
ages among the Samoans is ssava."
The ava (macropiper methysticum),
which grows in clusters from six to ten
feet in height, is "A species of pepper.
From its dried'root is made an intoxi-
eating beverage which, when taken in
small doses, is a delightful saporific.
10 drink ava is all very well If you do
not see how it is manufactured. But
If you witness the process, as did on
one occasion, when first sampled this
native drink, l feel assured that your
taste for ava will be somewhat changed.
While taking stroll over Samoa one
fine afternoon I came across q large
number of ApNns, men and women,
who were sitting on the ground around
one Of the native huts, apparently en-
gagged in some very interesting work
Having lost my way and being anxious
to see all there was to be seen, ap-
preached the crowd, greeted my friends
with "Kolloffah," and, with all the
Samoan at my command, explained my
errand. The natives treated me very
kindly and and at once invited me to
take q seat in their family circle, offer
ing me the best place. between two
charming young girls, who wore moth
ing in the shape Of dress but the usual
''lahpahlahpah." Noticed that all the
women and young girls were engaged
iii chewing at Il root, while on their
laps rested small cocoanut bowls, which
L took to be spittoons, as they allowed
the juice Of the roots to drop into the
bowls. In the center of the circle stood
a larger bowl, and whenever any Of the
women had chewed enough Of the'r root
she would empty the contents of her
bowl into the large one. I watched
these proceedings with great astonish-
ment, and could not imagine to what
end these danscls exercised their jaws.
:on those, gray roots.
After. the bowl in the centor had been
about half filled with this brownish
fluid some LINES and oranges were pro-
duced and mixed with the rest, and the
milk Of a number Of cocoanuts added
the whole completed the Samoans'
famous drink called "ava." To see its
manufacture was bad enough, but now
came the hardest part. [ was supposed
to drink this stuff. I was at a loss
what to do. L knew that If I refused
to partake would be insulting my
host. 1 tried to make believe that I
wasnot thirsty, but this did not seem
to work at all, and to, my great horror
l was offered tho first drink after the
mixture had been pronounced by the
oldest chief present to be all right. MY
fair neighbor to the right offered me
quite large bowl filled to tile brim
with ava, and I had to partake. I
took a sip and tried to return the bal
ance because I did not like the peppety
taste, but it was no go, had to finish.
1t was all that my life was worth. 1
managed to get through as best could,
and washed the whole down with
cocoanut milk. I afterward learned
had I refused to drink with my Samoan
friends I certainly would have been.
compelled to quit their presence in dis
grace.