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 antiquorum, 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 fetid smell. It 
is then either baked on hot stones, or steamed in large 
x 
