68 THE MANOBOS OF MINDANAO— GARVAN im, "To£mui' 



SUGARCANE BREW 



In-tus is a beverage made out of the juice of the sugarcane. It is the most common and 

 the most popular drink, so much so that it is deemed worthy of being presented to the spirits 

 on sacrificial and other occasions. 



Extraction of the juice. — The sugarcane is first peeled and then crushed, stalk by stalk, 

 or piece by piece, under the li-gi-san. This is a very primitive mill, consisting of a round, smooth, 

 heavy log usually of palma brava 7 or of the fishtail palm, set horizontally about 1 meter above 

 the ground on two crude frames. It is provided with a vertical handle, by means of which 

 it can be rolled from side to side over a flat piece of wood. The cane is introduced gradually 

 between this latter piece and the log, which is kept in constant motion. As soon as the whole 

 or a part of a piece of cane has been crushed, it is doubled up into a mass about 30 centimeters 

 long and is again crushed. By this method about 20 liters of juice are obtained in a day. 



Boiling. — The iron cooking pan described in a previous chapter is preferred for preparing 

 the drink, unless an empty kerosene can has been secured. In the absence of both, the ordinary 

 pot answers the purpose. In the center of the cooking utensil is placed a small cylinder made 

 of slats of bamboo to serve for gaging the amount of evaporation. The boiling vessel is filled 

 with small slices of the root of a gingerlike plant 8 and sugarcane juice is added to fill the 

 interstices. 



The amount of boiling determines the quality of the resulting liquor. If the sap is boiled 

 down only one-fourth, the drink produced is of a sweetish taste and of a whitish appearance 

 and, in my estimation, is not palatable. The more the sap is evaporated, the more it mellows 

 and browns. The Manobos of the upper Agusan make a better drink than those of the lake 

 region for the reason that they evaporate the juice one-half, while those of the latter-mentioned 

 district only give it a cursory boiling. It is usual to employ a little gaging rod of bamboo for 

 measuring the amount of evaporation, this being done by inserting it into the bamboo cylinder 

 in the center of the pot, but an old hand at brewing can gage by the smell. 



Fermentation. — After cooking, the decoction is unfit for immediate use. It must be left to 

 undergo fermentation for at least three whole days. Five days are sufficient to render it fairly 

 drinkable. The longer the period of fermentation, the finer the quality of the resulting liquor, 

 ceteris paribus. When well-cooked brew has been kept for a few months, it assumes a translucid 

 amber color, smells and tastes strongly of rum, and is highly intoxicating. The liquor during fer- 

 mentation must be kept in closed jars or earthen pots in a cool moist place. If kept in bamboo 

 joints, it will spoil. 



In general, the drink is more intoxicating than coconut toddy, but it is wholesome, and its use 

 is not attended by the after effects that are the result of overindulgence in certain other alcoholic 

 drinks like vino. In this connection it may be well to remark that I have never observed a case of 

 delirium tremens nor of any of the other serious consequences that in other parts of the world fre- 

 quently afflict the habitual drinker. The only ill effects I have seen are the proverbial headache 

 and thirst, but even these are very rare and usually occur only after periods of long and uninter- 

 rupted indulgence. As a rule such effects are at once dispelled by taking hot taro-top soup or by 

 munching sugarcane. 



MEAD 



This is probably the finest beverage produced in Manoboland, but as the honey season is 

 short and as the honey is consumed, both in the forest after taking the nest and in the house by the 

 members of the family, the drink is scarce. 



The preparation of the drink is identical with that of sugarcane brew. The same ferment is 

 used, the same method of cooking is employed, and in general the same remarks apply, with the 

 exception that in place of the sugarcane juice, honey and water are used. The honey is mixed 

 with water in varying proportions. It is the proportion of water to honey that determines the 



' An-a-hau {Licistona sp.). » Lan-kwas (Cordeiine terminate Willd.). 



