234 VOYAGES OF A NATURALIST 



The kindly chief gave me oranges, bananas, 

 and cocoanuts, and after the repast, clapped his 

 hands for " kava " to be brought in. I was 

 then enabled to have my first taste of the national 

 drink of the Samoan and Fiji Islanders, and as I 

 have never seen a full description of the manner 

 in which kava is prepared, or the ceremony of its 

 drinking, I will describe here what I saw. 



A large wooden bowl, its surface highly polished 

 by constant use, supported on four short wooden 

 legs, was first placed in position ; then facing it 

 we all sat cross-legged on the ground in a semi- 

 circle, and when all were seated the " taupau " 

 or chief dancing girl of the village, to whom only 

 the preparation of the kava is entrusted, entered, 

 and took her seat facing us behind the bowl. 

 A lump of kava* was next produced and cut up into 

 pieces of about the size of a walnut ; these were 

 beaten into shreds between two stones, f and then, 

 being placed in the bowl, were covered with water 

 brought in cocoanut shells from the nearest 

 spring. When the bowl was nearly three parts 

 full of water, a bunch of fibres, made from the 

 inner bark of the hibiscus, was handed to the girl, 

 who after vigorously stirring the liquid, scooped 



* The dried root of a pepper tree. 



t Formerly the shredding of the kava root was done by the " taupaus " 

 chewing the root, but this custom is now prohibited by law. In one 

 village, situated some distance from the capital, I saw kava prepared 

 in the original way ; but so cleverly and quickly was it done that, had 

 I not been especially looking out for it, I should not have noticed 

 anything unusual 



