234 ARTS AND CRAFTS OF GUIANA INDIANS [ETH. ANN. 38 
271. The fruit of the awarra palm (Astrocaryum tucumoides) also 
furnishes a common beverage. The soft seed covering is cut off in 
thin slices, a number of which are pounded up in a mortar so as to 
form a thick paste. This will “keep good” for about three days, 
and during this period portions of it may be mixed with honey or 
sugar water according to taste. In Surinam the drink was prepared 
somewhat differently, according to the account left us by Kappler. 
The ripe fruit was buried in the ground for a day or two, while the 
seed coverings became soft, when they were easily separated by 
pounding. The mush was next overlaid with heliconia leaves, and 
pressed into a plaited basket, and the whole dipped into the cold 
water of a creek where it was kept a few days, whereby the oily sub- 
stance in the thready flesh became more fluid, the outside leaves pre- 
venting the water from getting inside. A handful of this soft stuff 
squeezed into a calabash of water colors it red and gives it an agree- 
able acid-sweet taste. When mixed with sugar it is a delightful 
drink (AK, 144-145). The paripi palm (Bactris minor) is utilized by 
the Carib for obtaining a sweet drink from the fruit (SR, m, 418). 
From the arakodak, or arikodako, and hitchia (Byrsonima_ spi- 
cata) berries, the Arawak names of two plants, only the latter of 
which I have succeeded in identifying, are obtained drinks by pound- 
ing, picking out the seeds, mixing the remainder with water, and 
straining. Both are used in the Pomeroon district, the former also 
on the Berbice, where it is spoken of by Dance as “ very delicious.” 
This author also mentions a drink made from the Hiawaraballi 
berries (probably Protium heptaphyllum=Burseia guianensis), the 
tabara-huih of the Akawai, but no further particulars are furnished 
(Da, 55). Other fruits utilized for making drink are the Psidiwm 
turbinifiorum, P. pomiferum, and Hugenia sp. (SR, u, 11, 12). 
