56 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



(a fern). The meal in the basket is also covered with the 

 same kind of leaves, the covering process being known as 

 raupi. By this time the steam-ovens are ready, and the 

 baskets of meal are put into the ovens and covered up. 

 They are cooked for two hours or more, and are then taken 

 out and placed in the food-stores, where these cakes, or 

 rather steamed puddings, will keep good for a long time. In 

 late times the meal has been mixed with honey in place of 

 water. In appearance this food when cooked" is dark in 

 colour, and looks both solid and heavy. It somewhat 

 resembles a dried linseed poultice. I have eaten it, but 

 may say that I prefer my bread and beefsteak. This, how- 

 ever, may be mere racial prejudice on my part. 



The following saying is applied to the above food : " Kia 

 whakaara koe i taku vwe, ko te tvhatit turei a Rua " (When 

 you awaken me from my sleep let it be for the purpose of 

 eating the tvhatu turei a Btia — hinau meal). 



Tawa. 



The kernel of the fruit of the tawa tree (Ncsodaphne tawa) 

 furnished a large proportion of the food of these bushmen in 

 former times, and, moreover, it was an article that could be 

 kept as a stand-by for years. Hence during seasons when 

 this fruit was plentiful large quantities of the kernels were 

 dried and put away in the food storehouses. 



The kernel only of this fruit is preserved. The pulpy out- 

 side matter is only eaten by childrsn. This food is still in use 

 here. The fruit is collected from beneath the trees wiiere it 

 has fallen and spread out to dry, after which it is placed 

 upon a flax mat and beaten, in order to free the kernels from 

 the skins and puip. In cooking the tawa berries natives are 

 most careful in preparing the steam-oven for same. After the 

 fire is raked out and the oven arranged a layer of karamuramu 

 leaves is used to line the oven with, then a layer of fronds of 

 the heruheru fern is put in, then a layer of manono (syn., 

 raurekau) leaves, then a layer of hanehane leaves, then one of 

 leaves of the rau-taiuhiri, and finally a layer of fronds of the 

 paraharaha fern. The kernels of the tawa are then poured in 

 loose and covered with the same covering (rautao, generic 

 term) and the oven closed. The paraharaha leaves are said 

 to have the effect of destroying the natural odour or flavour of 

 the tawa kernels and of imparting to them its own. These 

 particular leaves are used because they are said to impart a 

 brown appearance to the tawa, which colouring is considered 

 desirable. They are allowed to remain in the steam-oven for 

 forty-eight hours before being taken out. This long process 

 of cooking is termed tdwhdkamoe, or taopaka. After the long 

 steaming they are spread out on mats until thoroughly dry, 



