acadwt or sowen] NARCOTIC AND STIMULATING ENJOYMENTS 71 



There are two forms of tobacco chewing: First, the bal-vi method. In this a mixture is 

 made of minced tobacco, lime, the juice of a vine, 11 and pot black. This combination, which in 

 bulk may be the size of a large marble, is carried between the upper lip and the upper gums but 

 resting upon the lower Up and projecting out of the mouth, thereby keeping the lips apart. 

 It is made use of principally for its narcotic qualities, but at the same time it serves as an orna- 

 ment and tends to blacken the teeth. It is carried in the mouth until its strength is exhausted. 

 During meals it is placed behind the ear. When tobacco is scarce, the same quid receives several 

 additions of lime, pot black, and vine juice, so that it may be used for a whole day. The women 

 are more accustomed than the men to the use of this bcd-ut, for the reason that the former do not 

 smoke, and also because they usually have hidden away a less limited supply of tobacco than the 

 men. The second method of using tobacco is known as the la-gut. This consists of chewing a 

 little pinch of tobacco in combination with betel nut. Tobacco is seldom chewed alone. 



THE BETEL-NUT MASTICATORY 



INGREDIENTS AND EFFECT OF THE QUID 



The betel-nut quid is to the Man6bo more than the cigarette, cigar, or pipe is to his more 

 civilized fellow man. With him the use of it is a universal, eternal habit. By day and by night, 

 in the house and on the trail, in health and in sickness, he turns for stimulation to the quid of 

 betel nut, betel leaf, and lime. A visitor comes to his house and the first act of hospitality is the 

 offering of the betel-nut quid. He meets an acquaintance upon the trail, and he sits down and 

 offers the soothing chew. He is anxious that his omen be good and he lays a tribute of betel nut 

 upon the trail for the forest deity, and goes on, confident that his desires will be fulfilled. And 

 when he calls upon his gods, the first and most essential offering must be the quid of betel nut, 

 for the fragrance of the nut and the redolence of the blossom are said to be the chief delicacy of the 

 spirits. 



The betel nut 12 is obtained from the palms found in the forest. These palms were planted 

 either by the Man6bos themselves or by their ancestors. The nuts are found in scarcely sufficient 

 quantity to supply the demand. When they can not be obtained, other plants 13 are used, 

 but they are an inferior substitute. In taste the betel nut is exceedingly astringent and can not 

 be used except in combination with the betel leaf and lime. As a rule the green and tender nut 

 is preferred by the mountain Man6bos, but the ripe nut seems to be the choice of those who have 

 come in contact with Christianized Man6bos or with Bisayas. 



The betel leaf 14 is from a species of pepper, of which there are innumerable species both 

 domestic and wild. A domestic variety is preferred but, since the supply is not always equal to 

 the demand, as in the case of the betel nut, the wild species afford a tolerable substitute. The 

 tender leaves are preferred as being less pungent. For the same reason domestic species are used 

 in preference to the wild ones, these latter possessing a highly acrid taste. 



The lime is made from the shells of shellfish found in the rivers, streams, and lakes. The 

 shells are burnt in a very hot fire, usually of bamboo strips, the fire being fanned continually. 

 The shells are then slaked with a sprinkling of water and the lime is ready for use. 



To prepare the quid, the betel nut, frequently stripped of its fibrous rind, is cut into small 

 slices. One slice is laid upon a piece of betel leaf, and a little lime is shaken upon it from the lime 

 tube. The leaf is then wrapped around the nut and the lime, and the pellet is ready for use. 

 The amount of lime must be such that the saliva will turn red, and depends upon the size of the 

 betel nut and the betel leaf. An excess of lime burns the integuments of the mouth and tongue, 

 but this is avoided by increasing immediately the amount of leaf. A little pinch of tobacco, the 

 stronger the better, completes the ordinary quid. 



There are sometimes added to this masticatory certain other aromatic ingredients, such as 

 cinnamon, lemon rind, and other things. 



» Mo6-mau. u Arcca bettl. " Kan-in-yag, cinnamon, Is one of the substitutes. Also called kantla. « Betel sp. 



