212 SAMOA : NA VIGA TORS ISLANDS 



the gods. Formerly Jcava was prepared by the girls of the family. 

 The root, after being carefully washed and cut into thin slices, was 

 chewed into a fine mass and thrown into a large wooden bowl 

 of water. After quite a prolonged stirring, the mixture was 

 strained of its solid constituents by passing through it a bunch 

 of cocoanut fiber, leaving a grayish, pungent fluid, with a pleas- 

 ant taste of peppermint. As soon as made it is ready for use, 

 and is passed around in cups made of shells of the cocoanut. 

 In more recent times the root is grated or pounded instead of 

 being masticated ; but, while this is undoubtedly a cleaner pro- 

 cess, it is said by connoisseurs to impair the flavor of the kava. 



A favorite amusement for old and } 7 oung is the siva, the 

 word meaning to dance. It is not, properly speaking, dancing, 

 but is more like an acting charade, for, although accompanied 

 with music, singing, and slapping of hands, the siva has no steps 

 or regular figures, its motions consisting of slow pacings, bodily 

 and facial contortions, and what may be called descriptive acting. 

 The actual siva is performed by girls. The dancers are pre- 

 pared for the siva by copious smearings of cocoanut oil applied 

 by some female relative, followed by a careful adorning of the 

 glistening body with the lava-lava, or loin cloth, and flowers for 

 the hair and neck. The subjects represented all relate to the life 

 of the islands, and are frequently given with a verisimilitude 

 which leaves nothing to the imagination. Courtship, marriage, 

 and the care of children find a leading place in the representa- 

 tion, while making poi, spearing fish, paddling the canoe, gather- 

 ing fruit, and also some of the " living pictures," are not omitted. 

 As the pace grows livelier frequent draughts of kava incite the 

 dancers to renewed activities, and often, as the excitement grows, 

 subjects of a grosser nature are given, and frequently before the 

 conclusion of a first-class siva the girls will divest themselves of 

 even the pretense of clothing, the lava-lavas following the flower 

 garlands until the space in the hut devoted to the performers is 

 filled with a swaying mass of glistening bodies, and the odor of 

 the cocoanut oil becomes simply overpowering to the few civil- 

 ized onlookers who are permitted to witness a genuine siva. 



The Samoan has a great liking for games of skill. The favor- 

 ite sport throughout the islands is a sort of quoits, only, instead 

 of being played with disks of stone or metal, the implements are 

 long, slender rods, which are cast with a peculiar turn of the 

 wrist that causes them to go through the air with a certain hum- 

 ming or singing noise. These rods are marked or numbered, 



