ESCULENT ROOTS. 305 



world approaches, the Daiga being in their opinion a 

 " Vasu " to heaven (Vasu kilagi). A Vasu, it should 

 be added in explanation, is, according to widely- 

 spread Polynesian custom, a nephew who holds the 

 movable property of his mother's brothers at his almost 

 absolute disposal, having the power to do whatever he 

 pleases with it. Some Vasus even venture so far as to 

 dispose of the very lands belonging to their maternal 

 uncles. There are Vasus to every family, town, and 

 kingdom. A Vasu to heaven is the climax of the whole 

 system, cleverly employed in the charming Fijian story 

 of the Princess Vilivilitabua. The root of the Daiga 

 is acrid, but after being freed from that property, es- 

 teemed on account of its nutritious qualities. Being 

 thought to assist fermentation, some of it is mixed with 

 the leaven of bread ; for the Fijians, though not grow- 

 ing any grain, or importing flour, prepare what they call 

 " Madrai," or bread, from the fruits of the Ivi (Inocarpus 

 edulis, Forst.), Kavika (Eugenia Malaccensis, Linn.), Ba- 

 nana, Plantain, Breadfruit, Dogo kana or mangrove, 

 and the roots of the Taro ( Colocasia antiguorum, Schott, 

 var. esculenta, Schott), Kawai (Dioscorea aculeata, 

 Linn.), Via mila (Alocasia Indica, Schott), Via kana, 

 and the Daiga. A hole, having the shape of an inverted 

 cone, is dug in the ground, and having been lined with 

 leaves, the different materials are put in, covered with 

 leaves, earth, and stones, to undergo fermentation, and 

 become fused into a homogeneous mass. Two or three, 

 ay, even nine months are allowed for that process. 

 When taken out, the dough emits a sour foetid smell. It 

 is then either baked on hot stones, or steamed in large 



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