The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-30

ming water, where, after few days. the
bark falls off. Then 1t Is cut into slices
and thorly rinsed In open shallow bas-
kets made for the purpose, which do duty
for colanders In Bantu land. When the
last suggestion of bitterness has been
a canoes shaped wooden trough, and two
women, one at each end. beat and pick
away the woody parts from the farina-
ceous substance, and continue their work
until only light. fluffy mass remains.
1t Is usual to And the women late In the
work. When the time for bread-making
comes. the woman lays piece of board
over her lap, and on 1t places sections
Of broad plantain leaves. until she has
a strip eighteen Of twenty inches long.
This she covers thickly with the cassava.
deity piltng 1t thru the center, leaving
the sides Of the strip clear. She folds
the edges over until the cassava Is care
fully covered. aDd then turns the narrowed
strip Of leaves back and forth up on itself,
and ties 1t firmly with strong fiber. also
from the plantain. The bundle Is placed
in a brass kettle, oupful Of water is put
in. and the kettle Is securely covered with
layer upon layer Of plantain leaves, which
are bound tightly over the top. Then the
bread Is left to steam for an hour or so.
There are people who cannot eat the cas-
saya, but every one can eat the plantain.
which Is either boiled or roasted In the
ashes. Foreigners find the cassava bread
palatable when 1t is roasted, that process
giving 1t a flavor similar to that OF a baked
potato
No civilized cook can excel the Bantu
woman In baking fish. After the fish is
carefully cleaned it Is laid on a bed made
Of eight or ten layers Of big square pieces
of plantain leaves. To add richness to the
fish, the Bantu woman sprinkles 1t with
shavings from q cake of parched nuts,
which have been pounded and with their
oil nodded into solid cake in a basket
made for that use. Then, with a big
snail she'll, she mixes salt and native pep
per on the broad stone and season her
fish. The fish is wrapped In the leaves.
tied with the fiber and buried in the hot
Goals Of the fire. where 1t Is turned fire.
quently for an hour and half. The COW
erings are never removed until the family
Is ready to eat it. The nutty flavor. COM
bined with the fragrance Of the plantain
leaves, makes delightful combination.
The only confectionery known to the
country Is sugar cane, which the people
chew. Until the trader appeared, no use
was made Of milk. and now only the
canned kind is to be had. Formerly moth
ers fed their young babies on the masti
Gated pulp Of the boiled plantain, but they
are fast learning the value Of condensed
milk for the. children.
Clay pottery baskets Of woody vine
that grows in the forests were some years
ago the only household utensils. but with
the traders have come the tin can and
other dishes. The pottery is glazed in
side and out, when the clay has dried,
with pitch, the sap Of a certain tree.
which is burned in. The men make carved
woodwork and great variety Of spoons
In light woods The low bamboo houses
are furnished with chairs or stools, tables
and beds. and often they are beautifully
carved. The people never sit on the floor,
except as sign Of mourning.
Efforts are being made by the mission
to civilize the people along industrial lines.
To limited extent carpentry Is now
taught to the men and sewing and house
hold work to the girls. DR.. Nassau. who
is the senior missionary of the station,
is deeply interested in encouraging bet
ter modes Of building along native lines,
and with native material. It Is a fond
wish of both him and his sister that at no
distant day an industrial training school
may be established to teach all the need
full trades. An increasing interest In the
Industries Is evident among the people,
and they ara more and more raising CO.
Goa, cocoanuts and rubber for export