TRADITIONAL, LORE. 213 



The ancient marriage ceremony was very simple ; 

 the man and woman dug and washed some cas- 

 sava, boiled it, and baked very thick cakes. From 

 the liquor, boiled down, they made a drink which 

 they mixed with rum and resinous leaves. These 

 things were placed on a -table around which were 

 seated the man and woman, her father and mother, 

 and two witnesses. The father cut the cassava into 

 six pieces, and handed one to the groom, who dipped 

 it in the liquor and gave it to his bride. She in turn 

 dipped another piece, given her by her mother, and 

 gave it to the groom. After this solemn ceremony 

 came feasting and drinking to the extent the groom's 

 purse would allow. 



The inhabitants of the village were preparing cas- 

 sava, or rather they were making "farine" from the 

 cassava root, and Captain George and I went over to 

 the river where the women were at work. The juice 

 of the cassava ( Jatrofha manihoi) is very poisonous. 

 Cattle and children often die from eating the raw 

 tubers, or drinking water containing the juice. To 

 prepare it for use, the natives scrape off the dark 

 outer cuticle, wash the tuber thoroughly and grate it; 

 it is then again washed, and a small portion at a 

 time wrung out dry in a cloth, leaving it in dry cakes 

 which crumble. It is then sifted, rubbed through a 

 sieve of reeds split and woven, and afterwards baked 

 in very thin cakes on a large iron plate, over a hot 

 fire. These cakes will keep a long time ; they are 

 hung up over a pole or line, and used as wanted. 

 In some islands the people make more of the farine, 

 the grated root dried on a large copper or iron plate, 



