552 



^.^rrr-r 





•■:1 



the whole is wrapped up in a big banana leaf and left until 

 the sago is cooked. ^26) The cooking of sago in the methods 

 first-mentioned is done in the ordinary clay pots, and in 

 contrast with the boiling or steaming of the vegetables, which 

 needs no stirring, the sago boiling requires the constant use 

 of a spoon. For this purpose large wooden spoons, or, rather^ 

 flat spatulas, are used. Some of these are provided with very 

 long handles, thus permitting the stirring well away from 

 the fire (see figs. 22 and 23, and pi. xxxii., fi^. 2V 



Perhaps the most important seasoning and culinary 

 ingredient in Mailu cooking, as well as in that of all the 

 other coastal natives, is the coconut cream, Goro goro (in 



Motu, Delioro). It is the only 

 regular source of fat in the 

 natives' diet, and it renders his 

 food both nourishing and palat- 

 able. To obtain it a ripe coconut 

 is broken and the interior scraped 

 with a piece of shell, which 

 is usually cut into an oval shape 

 •' Vi^^!''''''§. ^^^^ serrated on one side (see 

 '•^ . 'i's-'iji) ^o' '^^^' This instrument is 

 .^^I'i'iliSi named KaikoaS'^'^) The scrapings 

 are soaked with water and 

 squeezed, or they are sometimes 

 strained through a basket, especi- 

 ally when the coconut cream 

 (Dt^horn) is manufactured on a 

 large scale on festive occasions 

 (see pi. xxxii., fig. 1), and is eaten 

 as a sauce practically watli all the 

 solid food, except when the coco- 

 nut taboo has to be observed 

 (comp. sec. 5 of this chapter). 

 Sometimes, as mentioned above, 

 the food is boiled with Dehoro. 



The jungle supplies the natives with a certain amount of 

 fruit, such as native mangos, mangosteens, a fruit called 



(26) The Motu prepare sago by boiling it with ripe bananas 

 and call it Furirdri. Small dumplings of ripe banana and sago 

 (DiaJ. wrapped in lianana leaves, are boiled in water and eaten 

 with Kt'tarcf, which is boiled coconut cream (Dehoro). Sago 

 porridge boiled in Dehoro is named Idra, as just mentioned. 



(27) Besides the serrated pearl shell, other shells are used as. 

 inferior implements, notably a large Venus, called Eira. Nowa- 

 days natives often use large and complicated scrapers supplied by 

 the white man's trade. 



Fig. 24. Coconut Sceaper. 



'Xdikoa^ a shell, 



serrated at the end. It is used 



as a coconut scraper. 



