The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-10-24

of the meat before them. Different islands
have their several customs of butchery. Some
carve the meat into joints before cooking it,
but Malaysia has the fullest ceremony in this
matter, and may be taken rs fairly descriptive
of the rest While the butchers are Mt their
task of this evisceration and the hogs ashore
and the sharks in the shadows are snarling and
fighting over their food, the women are pro-
pairing the ovens for this feast, where the fun
eral baked meats aro at the same time the
funerals themselves.
THE VILLAGE BARBECUE OVENS.
Great pits sllrttbe end of the village green,
shallow excavations lined with cobblcs, not the
work Of today, hastily dug for this one feast,
but pits which dale back for generations to the
time when tho first canoe load of savages set
up these its ancestral hcarths. In every pit is
cracking hot fire OF dried branches. AS this
kiudling burns down into bed of 1.-Two Goals,
husks of cocoanuts aud knots of ironwood arc
heaped upon them to mako the fire hotter
without flame or smoke and stones are heated
on these Goals. just ms the cobbles below are
heated almost to fnsing the discmbowelcd
bodies are brought upon the scene. The cooks
seize upon the first, that chosen by the tabu
man. Tho cavity of the chest aud belly is
lined with the broad succulent leaves of tho
taro; within are packed vans, sweet potatoes,
taro, brcadiruit and green bananas, and heated
stones are placed among them. Meanwhile tho
pit has been cleared Of all its Goals, which burn
upon its brink glowing mass of incandcscence
Deit hands, trained by long practice, wrap tho
body in banana leaves aud bind il from head
to foot with long, tough pandanus leaves A
bed Of sand is strewn three inches thick upon
the vitriicd cObbles that line tho oven tho
body is laid upon this and covered with sand
tho Goals are Taked back over it, soil is thrown
over all, aud the first oven stands n miniature
cone putting out volcanic odors of baking meat.
As for tho tabn man, so for the chief and war
riors in order the bodies are dressed and the
ovens charged. As "A rule, the island villages
rarely number more than a hundred houses,
and it is rare event to find more than score
of bodies brought to be cooked from any COM
bat. We're there more tho village could not
consume them all, and the intertropica islands
afford no chance to keep meat from one day to
the next.
RECIPE FOR COOKING "LoNG PIG"
All must be eaten, fresh and tough, with the
rigor morris not at ALL So in Boosting his
tory Of the ARRAY, in dancing and in singing,
the time of baking passes away without tedum
The SAVIOR of the meat hangs about the green.
and more than one smacks his lips in anticipa-
ton as favoring slant Of the breeze drifts
down over the assemblage the heavy reek of
the baking bodies. The cooks from time to
time drive bamboo canes into the steaming
heaps TO judge of the progress of their cookery.
Two hours 20 by, the usual time aud tho cooks
Zone,
The earth and smoldering embers are thrown
out from tho tabn mans oven and tho body,
sieaming in its brown envelope of leaves is
laid open to view.
Gently it Is raised upon hurdle Of reeds
and canes, the wrappiugs arc cut off exposing
the crisp aud brown outside pieces Of the meat
Upon the distorted face is laid a mask tipped
with feathers in the cooked left hand is placed
spear and In the baked right hand Is graspcd
a club Lucky tho man whose victim has been
chosen by the tabu man, for great Is his
honor. The bearers lift the body on It's hurdle
10 their shoulders, tho tabu man goes before,
the lucky fighter dances after in all his fight
ing gear. Around the green tho toothsone
procession makes its way, aud before the chief
and the elders the fighter recounts the name of
bis victim and tho story of the hand-to- hand
battle among the houses. Others may have
fought and may have killed some uumportant
people, but he alone brought homo from the
raid the choicest fruit of battle food worthy
OF the tabu mans palate
This ceremony ended. tho chiefs oven Is
opened and his food placed before him. The
other ovens are opened Wi TIA hurried rush Of
women and children all content TO dig away
tho earth and hot stones for the eager delight
OF uncoveriug tho jHicy roast. They feed ia
meSses in an orderly enough fashion, and there
Is no such scene Of rending the flesh aud gaaw-
ing the bone, such as the imagination pictures
y cannibal repast.
Tho ncsh Is crisp and white in appearance
something midway between veal and pork. with
sufficient resemblance to the latter to justify
its almost universal ouphemism of 50 long pig"
or ia some few cases I" long dog" The bodies
arc carved by splints of slivered bamboo, which
replace knives in tho habits of these people.
who have not acquired the art of working
metals. or who. IL they could build furnaces,
have not tho iron ote 10 reduce.
AROUND THE SOCIAL BOARD.
The joints neatly severed arc distributed to
the several messcs or families Just as they pre-
fer aud ars carried away on clean banana
leaves. Then from every house arc brought
out tho forks. lab0riousIy carved for these
sgus and sometimes preserved as heirlooms.
They are made of the characteristic ironwood
Of tho western Pacific tCdsadriHa egUiseii foiid(,
aud arc almost indestruetiblo in their toughness.
The tines are four not side by side, but
arranged at the four corners OF square; each
tine Is about three inches long. and somewhat
smaller than a common skewer. The fork Is
forced into the meat as far rs 1t viii go, bam-
boo splnt is used 10 cut of moderate chunk
oil the flesh about the fork, aud with this por-
ton the owner sits down To bite of mouthfuls
aud lesuTely enjoy the meat aud the yegeta-
bles baked In It's gravy. The only limit placed
on appetite is the limit OF the meat on hand for
the pcople-cut and come again and eat and
doze eat and doze again until all is gone.
Some ceremony Is observed IN the distribu-
ton OF tho bodies which are cooked for the
chief and the tabu man Each reserves for him.