jg5 Art. YII. — A. Mats^imurft : 



water used by the natives." He further says that there is one of 

 the prettiest sinks on Eniibor, an island to the nortli of Jabor, to 

 which, however, I liad no opportunity to make a personal visit. 



On all the islands coconut shells are employed as vessels for 

 preserving water. Besides these, gourds are also used in Ponapé 

 and Jaluit. The former have holes bored around the mouth, so 

 that they may be hung by strings of coconut fibre passed through 

 these holes ; while the latter are put in a net of thread, so as to 

 be suspended indoors. 



Besides fresh water, the juice of coconuts must be mentioned. 

 The milk obtained from young coconuts has a light, sweet taste, 

 and furnishes a refreshing drink in the tropics, especially in small 

 islands where the supply of fresh water is scanty. In the Manihiki 

 Islands (Polynesia) native medicine men are said to give this juice 

 to those suffering from headache.^ 



III. Tobacco and Liquoks. 



The natives use tobacco and several kinds of liquors. Both 

 sexes smoke tobacco ; and it w\as rather surprising that boys and 

 girls some seven or eight years of age w^ere very glad to receive 

 tobacco from us and smoke it. Even chewing tobacco is now im- 

 ported from America. Under German rule drinking was strictly 

 prohibited with the result that the natives are now temperate, 

 though they are naturally fond of liquor. They know^ the art of 

 making a beverage from the inflorescence of coconuts ; but it 

 seems that this custom is rather limited, since the destruction of 

 inflorescences affects the yield of the fruit. They have another 

 native drink called kava or ava. 



Kava. Kava drinking is found in different parts of Polynesia 



1 G. Turner, " Sixmoa," p. 276. 



