46 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



monious people and every important affair of life was ordered in ac- 

 cordance with a rigid etiquette which unhappily in many instances is 

 falling into neglect before the levelling influence of the white man's law. 



Thus in the old days, the yaqona (kava of Samoa) was drunk by 

 chiefs alone, and then only upon ceremonial occasions, but now all may 

 partake of it and the excess thus engendered is one of the minor causes 

 of the decline of the population. Wilkes, and also Williams, in his 

 work on Fiji and the Fijians, describes the ceremony at Somo somo 

 where it was most elaborate. Early in the morning the herald stood 

 in front of the chief's house and shouted yaqona ei ava, and all within 

 hearing responded in a shriek Mama (prepare it). Then the chiefs 

 and priests gathered within the king's house, while all others remained 

 at home until the king had drunk his yaqona. Pieces of the root of 

 the Macropiper methysticum were distributed among the young men, 

 who must previously have rinsed their mouths and whose teeth must 

 be perfect. The chewed root having been deposited in the form of rela- 

 tively dry pellets in the bottom of the bowl, the herald announces to 

 the king " Sir with respect the yaqona is collected." The king replies 

 "Loba" (wring it). The bowl is then placed before the chief, who 

 skilfully encloses the chewed fragments of root within fibers of hibiscus 

 or cocoanut husks and finally wrings the fluid through this sieve, thus 

 removing from the bowl all pieces of chewed root, and leaving within it 

 a milky-yellow brew. While the straining is progressing, the priest 

 chants a prayer in which the company finally joins. The first cocoanut 

 cup is always handed to the king, who pours out a few drops as a liba- 

 tion to the gods and then drinks while the assembled company sing, 

 Ma-nai-di-na. La-ba-si-ye : a ta-mai ye : ai-na-ce-a-toka : Wo-ya ! yi ! 

 yi ! yi !, finishing with a clapping of hands and a wild shout which is 

 passed from house to house to the uttermost limits of the village. After 

 the king, the company is served in the order of rank until all have par- 

 taken. In old times, it is said that yaqona was grated in Fiji, but that 

 the Tongans introduced the method of chewing. Having tried it, I 

 must confess that the chewed root is less unpleasant in flavor than the 

 grated, but at best it resembles a combination of quinine and camphor 

 and is certainly an acquired taste. When drunk to excess, it tem- 

 porarily paralyzes the arms and legs, at the same time exciting the 

 brain. Thus violent quarrels are apt to occur at yaqona bouts, but the 

 combatants are unable to injure each other. When the chief falls into 

 a stupor the wives of the other participants carry their protesting hus- 

 bands home. A dull headache upon awaking is the penalty for this 

 over-indulgence, but the evil effects are slight in comparison with those 

 resulting from alcoholic excesses. 



The British government has, however, prevented alcoholism among 

 the natives; for each Fijian who desires to imbibe must annually ob- 



