352 PLANTS IN USE BY THE NATIVES OF NEW GUINEA, 



32. Nicotiana tahacum (Kas). The old natives of this Coast 

 remember, that thej were told by their fathers, that in their youth 

 they (the fathers) were not acquainted with the use of tobacco and 

 that the seeds and the knowledge of smoking have been introduced 

 and have spread from village to village from the west. There are 

 some villages in the mountains of the Maclay-Coast where the 

 custom of smoking has not yet been introduced (1). The dried 

 tobacco leaves are, before smoking, dried on a fire, after which 

 they are torn, crushed and rolled in a leaf (2), also previously 

 dried on fire, in the shape of a big cigarette and smoked. In 

 some hill villages, the natives haves large bamboo pipes (3), which 

 are filled with tobacco smoke from a cigarette and smoked by many 

 people in turn, every one trying to inhale and to swallow as much 

 of the cold smoke as he can. The use of the pipe has not been 

 adopted by the coast natives, wlio prefer to smoke cigarettes. 



III. Plants useful in different ways in the household of 



THE NATIVES. 



I will mention here some other plants, which are of importance 

 in the every day life of the native of this part of new Guinea. 



33. Tauwi (an Urticaceee). The mal (4) of the men is manufac- 

 tured just like the tapa of the Polynesians out of the bark of young 

 Artocarpus trees, or the bark of the Tauwi. 



(1) The use of tobacco in the Louisiade Archipelago has also been intro- 

 duced quite lately. I visited in ISSO sojne hill villages on the Island Basilaki 

 (or Moresbj' Island) where the natives where completely unacquainted with 

 tobacco and smoking. 



(2) The natives of the Maclay-Coast use the leaves of several plants as 

 covering for their cigarettes, I am sorry however to say, that I have neglected 

 to ascertain which are these special plants. 



(3) Just like on the South-Coast of New Guinea, where the use of tobacco, 

 according to the authority of Rev. Lavves, has been introduced from the 

 West and only lately has spread gradually to the S. East extremity of New 

 Guinea and now the kuku (the native name for tobacco on the S.E. Coast) is 

 in the greatest demand. 



(4) The mal is a piece of tapa of more than three yards in length and 

 about a I of a yard wide. It is worn thus : one end is held fast near the 

 navel, the mal passed between the legs and then carried several times round 

 the waist and the end finally tied on the back. 



