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MY CONSULATE IN SAMOA
CHAPTER XXIX.
Troublesome Inquirers - Taupo Visitors - Kava - Duties of Taupos - Severe Boudoir Discipline - Taupos Political Valuables - Bread-fruit - Odoriferous Food - Bananas - Yam-growing - Taro - Pork a General Lever - Pig related to Man - Fat Pigeons - Fishing on Reef - 'Peasoopo' - Tinned Chinaman - Dog-eating - Samoan Cookery.
THE departure of a man-of-war or distinguished stranger was the signal for a week's botheration. It was a period of cross-examination. 'What does the captain think of us ?' ' When will he see the Queen ?' 'Do the Indians speak English ?' etc., was going on all day long, and never ceased until a decided refusal to answer any further questions was given.
About the middle of December I received a visit from three 'Taupos' belonging to the villages across the river, who came in all state to invite me to a big dinner to be given on Christmas Day in their region. They were, as usual, very kind and most persuasive, would not take 'no' for an answer, and to give me time for consideration, and put me in a favourable state of mind, they set to work manufacturing a bowl of Kava for my delectation. In fact, I had the whole of a strictly conducted ceremony to myself, after which it was impossible for me to refuse, more especially as they took the trouble to run through an interminable list of all the eatables for the occasion.
Taupo is the Samoan name for the maid of a village. Every village or town in the group of any position or importance has one, most frequently the ruling chiefs own daughter, or one adopted by him. She is at all times a girl of high rank in the place itself or in that of her parentage. From the first day of her instalment to the day of her departure in marriage, elopement, or dethronement for bad behaviour-which in quite recent times was effected with a club-she is virtually the queen of the place. It is she who receives strangers on arrival in her town, makes Kava for them, and personally sees to their comfort and entertainment. Never from one year's end to the other is she permitted to be out of sight of her duennas, and when abroad she is invariably attended also by as many of her youthful companions as are available for the service, who follow her in single file wherever she may go.
She heads all processions and visits, and takes the leading part in all Sivas or native dances. Her attire on gala-days is of the gayest and most splendid description that her town can afford, and everything is ungrudgingly sacrificed that can add to the glorification of her personal appearance. It is she, on these occasions, who has mainly to uphold the prestige of the town, and well, as a rule, does she perform her duty. It is only when dressing for any ceremony that she appears to have no will of her own; at all other times it is quite the reverse. On these occasions, a long time before the commencement of the ceremonial, her old women take entire possession of her, and on them devolves the exercise of the mysteries of the Samoan boudoir.
Everything is done for the proud damsel, who stands patiently suffering an amount of coercion, one tithe of which she would not permit for a second were it not part of her duties as maid of the town. She is first of all taken in hand by two or more of her duennas, who briskly shampoo her all over with sweet-scented oil until her warm-coloured skin shines like so much satin. At the same time another will be energetically brushing her jet-black locks, polishing them until the raven's wing is dull in comparison, and will afterwards plait or otherwise dress them in the manner that the combined wisdom of the old people, assisted probably by the suggestions of some twenty or thirty of her youthful companions, may dictate.
Now will follow the selection of dress to be worn, a task of no mean dimensions, with so large a critical jury to satisfy. All the finery available is brought to light, and the effect of dress after dress is tried, only to be discarded by a majority of votes, until at last something like an unanimous decision is arrived at, and the pride and hope of the town stands forth in all her conscious beauty both of attire and person, the purely native charms of which are enhanced or otherwise by 'papalagi' ornaments. Sometimes, indeed, the willing martyr to appearances is so severely dressed with fine mats, tapa, girdles, etc., as to render it a matter of impossibility to sit down without disturbing the whole costume, and, in consequence, has to remain standing upright until it is time for her to take her proud place in the pageant she is to adorn with her presence.
The maid of the town, in addition to being the social pride of her native or adopted place of abode, is, in proportion to her rank and the importance of the town she represents, looked upon by her people as of political value, her friends being continually on the look-out for some marital alliance of consequence for her, whereby they may gain useful allies for troublous times; and many are the 'Fonos' assembled by the chief men to devise the means for attaining this end, so valuable in a country like Samoa, where in a moment one town may be set against another for the veriest trifle.
The staple foods of the country, which my visitors enlarged so much upon, are, of course, vegetable, and consist principally of cocoa-nuts, bread-fruits, bananas, yams, taro, all cultivated, whilst the bush affords many more edible articles, such as wild sorts of the last two vegetables mentioned. The cocoa-nuts, which grow most luxuriantly, before their value was discovered for oil-production, and consequent use as barter for strange luxuries, were in themselves both meat, drink, and fuel for the natives, to be procured by merely climbing the nearest tree.
Toddy is extracted from the wounded flower as it grows on the tree. It is not allowed to leave its sheath, being parcelled up with sinnet. A piece of the large bud is then sliced off, from whence drips the sap-which, in the course of nature, would have assisted in the formation of the nut-into a bottle hung at its point. A single bud will yield about a quart per diem until exhausted, the end of the bud being pared off afresh each day. It is of a sickly sweet taste, and rapidly ferments, when an exceedingly intoxicating liquor is formed; not much used, however, amongst Samoans. It also serves the purpose of yeast in bread-making.
The bread-fruit is next in importance. These. strikingly handsome trees, with their broad, glazed, dark-green leaves, flourish most luxuriantly everywhere, and provide an abundance of wholesome and favourite food for about six months of the year. The leaf is the usual Samoan plate, while the wood is much valued for its durability, and is proof against white ants. In seasons of great plenty, the Samoans put quantities of bread-fruit into large pits lined with banana-leaves, which are covered over and left for months to ferment, after which the stored food will last for a very long time. When these pits are opened, the atmosphere for a great distance all round is poisoned with the awful stench. The Samoans do not seem to mind this, but knead the stuff up into cakes, when, strange to say, it loses much of its offensive aroma in cooking.
Bananas and many other sorts of plantains are very plentiful, bearing all the year round, and are eaten cooked and cold with nearly every other sort of food, as potatoes are at home. Their cultivation is extremely simple and easy. There is nothing to do but to keep the ground reasonably clean, and the trees free from creepers. Each stem will produce one bunch of an average of fifty pounds weight of good food. Once having borne fruit, the stem is cut down, leaving one of the suckers to take its place, and so on continuously. The long, broad leaf, sometimes as large as six feet by three, is useful for a great variety of purposes, from umbrellas to tablecloths, plates, cups, envelopes, and is a sine qua non during cooking operations.
Yams require a little more care, the bush having to be kept more clear to prevent their vines being smothered, and for successful cultivation they want hilling up when just starting into growth; but still, the necessary work compared with that of other countries for similar cultivation is infinitesimal. With small trouble they thrive very luxuriantly, often reaching the weight of forty pounds. There are eight sorts of yams indigenous to the country.
The 'taro' (Arum esculentum) is a species of lily, producing a large bulb or root of very valuable food properties, containing much starch, and is perhaps the most life-sustaining of all Samoan edibles. There are many sorts of taro, both aquatic and dry. This, again, is very easily grown. On one root being plucked, it is only necessary to cut off the head with the leaves, thrust it into the ground, and there is the commencement of a new crop.
Besides these vegetables and fruits cultivated for food, there are to be found in the 'bush sundry other edible articles, such as wild yams, a chestnut, and an enormous species of taro, called 'tamu' These, with oranges grown in profusion in the vicinity of the towns, make up a full list of Samoan vegetable foods.
The meat principally used is pork. Pigs take a very respectable position amongst Samoan riches. Poor piggy, as in Ireland, has, or is supposed to have, to pay for pretty nearly everything. He appears everywhere. Land and property are bought with him; fines are paid with him. No marriage-feast, or any other sort of social gathering, can come off without pork. He is of great use for bribery and corruption, and even, when quite young, takes the place of the lapdog with the ladies, who not only nurse him, but teach him to follow them in their walks abroad. Above all, his origin, if the Samoan tale be true, marks him out to be in some way related to mankind, he having in the first place proceeded from the maggots issuing from the heads of human beings, which a certain old cannibal 'of yore threw into a pit after having devoured the bodies.
Fowls are plentiful everywhere, whilst during one particular season of the year, pigeons in great. quantities are to be procured in the plumpest and most delicate condition. The sea at all times supplies an abundance of fish; a large sort of gray mullet is particularly plentiful, and the rivers also produce a fair proportion of eels, small fish, and plenty of most excellent crawfish. On the reef at low water, turtle, large crayfish, beche de mer, and many other molluscs dear to the native gourmand, are to be had for the collecting. Outside the reef, sometimes far out to sea, go the bonito canoes in pursuit of the fish from which they are named, and which are captured by trolling with a bright pearl-shell hook on a long bamboo rod. It was from meeting Samoan canoes so far at sea that Bougainville gave the group the name of Navigators. In taking mullet, as many as fifty canoes are sometimes engaged at one time, the nets being carried between them. On a shoal being discovered in the shallow water, about five feet deep, the men jump out with the nets, with which they endeavour to surround the fish. When this is done they all stand round on the outside, and as the fish jump high out of the water to reach safety, they catch them very cleverly in hand-nets constructed for that purpose. A great deal of their fishing is done at night by torchlight, when the canoes paddle to and fro inside the reef, spearing any fish that may come within the circle of light.
They now, in addition to their native productions, use many foreign tinned meats and biscuits; but the Samoan especial vanity is tinned salmon, of which they are inordinately fond. All tinned meats, although the natives perfectly well know the difference between one sort and another, are included under the generic name of 'peasoopo.'
An amusing story is told about tinned beef in the island of Tutuila. It was about the time that the horrible discovery was made in San Francisco of Chinamen boiling down their dead to get their bones to send back to the Flowery Land. The Samoans are all very fond of hearing the 'nusipepa' (newspaper) whenever they can get it read to them. Some one read the account of this to a party, and wound up, either by way of a joke or in good faith, by informing them that the Chinamen's flesh was then tinned for export to Samoa under the name of 'boiled beef. No more tins of that sort could be sold to Samoans from that day.
Amongst other delicacies must not be forgotten the various kinds of worms and maggots, the former procured from the reef, the latter from rotten wood, which form side-dishes at every well-regulated Samoan banquet.
Dogs, occasionally used as food, swarm everywhere over the islands, and are a great nuisance to travellers passing through native towns. No native feels quite furnished until he has one or more curs attached to his establishment, no matter of what sort or size. A dog's a dog with him, but I think a big one is generally preferred on account of there being more meat on him when called upon to supply the family supper. Some dogs are of use in hunting down wild pigs in the bush, the only sort of hunting to be got in Samoa. In the municipality of Apia dogs are taxed two dollars per annum, and all unlicensed ones are destroyed. The licensed animals have to carry a small brass ticket round the neck, a regulation which gave rise to some amusement in the town, which might, however, have ended in a serious disturbance. It was thus: a great many of the Roman Catholic boys wear small religious medallions round the neck. A lot of mischievous Protestant 'hoodlums,' having nothing better to do, began to chaff them, and compare them to the licensed dogs, whilst those who had no medallions were told to go to the Courthouse, and get permission to live in town .. Complaint being made, this was soon put an end to. With cats, rats, and mice in plenty, a complete list of Samoa's four-footed occupants is supplied.
In spite of the introduction of iron pots and pans, the cooking by the natives of the present day is exactly the same as it was in the days of their forefathers; and judging from the result is in no bad style, either with regard to economy of labour or perfection of method.
The 'umu,' or oven, consists of a hole dug in the ground, about two feet deep for ordinary purposes, and lined with smooth stones. In this a fire is made, which having burnt out, the cavity is swept and lined with fresh banana-leaves. On these, done up in leaves, are placed the various viands to be cooked. A thick layer of more large leaves or cocoa-mats is then placed on the top of all, covered again with earth and stones, on which, if thought necessary, another fire is constructed. After this there is nothing more to be done but to wait patiently for the time when the contents will be required.
The way in which these ovens retain their heat is very wonderful. There is no trouble whatever after the oven is closed, and no such thing as overdoing, although it often happens that the oven is left unopened for twenty-four hours or more.
Pork, fish, vegetables, fowls, and the many made dishes peculiar to the country are all cooked at the same time, without mingling flavours, each separate article being wrapped in its appropriate leaf When pigs of any size are cooked, their insides are generally filled up with hot stones previous to the oven being closed over them. Fish are cooked uncleaned, just as they are caught from the sea, but are plaited up very neatly in cocoa-nut leaves, which, adhering tightly to the shape when ready, are easily broken off, carrying with them the skin and refuse, and leaving the edible portion quite clean. Vegetables consisting entirely of taro and yams, are scraped clean and placed in the oven as they are, from whence they emerge cooked in a manner which no European method can hold a candle to. The various made dishes are tied up in small bundles in portions of banana-leaves, and take their chance with the rest. The only one of these last which at all attracts Europeans, from any other motive than that of curiosity, is a dish named 'Palu-sami,' made from young taro-leaves, with the expressed juice of the cocoa-nut, mingled with seawater. Bread-fruit needs only to be thrown on the ashes for a few minutes to receive all the cooking required by that most useful esculent.
The Samoans do not make an oven every day. Perhaps a family will not have one more than once a week, generally towards the end, when enough will be cooked to last for the whole interval.
During this long dissertation, I am afraid that the reader will have quite lost sight of the charming Taupos, who, I may now say, for general information, after a great deal of laughing, chaff, and joking, borrowed a dollar apiece from me-of course to be repaid the next day-and with a present of some tinned salmon and biscuit, passed on to put the next victim through a similar course of plunder.