Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/142

 116 FIJI AIsD THE FIJIAl^S. to the men. The ovens, which are holes or pits sunk in the ground, are sometimes eight or ten feet deep, and fifty feet in circumference ; and in one of these several pigs and turtles and a large quantity of vegeta- bles can be cooked. English roasters of an entire ox or sheep might learn some useful philosophy from the Fijian cook, whose method in- sures the thorough and equal baking of the whole carcass. The oven is filled with firewood, on which large stones are placed, and the fire introduced. As soon as the fuel is burnt out, the food is placed on the hot stones, some of which are put inside the animals to be cooked whole. A thick coat of leaves is now rapidly spread over all, and on these a layer of earth about four inches thick. When the steam pen- etrates this covering, it is time to remove the food ; whereupon the lull that followed the closing of the oven gives place to renewed activity, as the men, besides having rested, have also regaled themselves on the hearts, livers, kidneys, etc., of the pigs they have killed, and which tit- bits they ate ex officio. Thus refreshed, they proceed to plait green baskets, beat up the taro paste with ponderous pestles, prepare the large beautiful leaves to receive the paste and sauce, tie them up, count, report, and carry them away with as much alacrity as though they had lost sight of the characteristic counsel of their forefathers, to " go gently, that they may live long." The food prepared by each tribe and family is presented for inspec- tion, and in some cases collected and piled before the house of the King, to whom a specimen of each kind is always sent. The usual custom is, after all has been thus seen, counted, and reported by the Tui-rara — " Master of the feast ; " literally, " Master of the area," viz., where the feast is held, — and the Matas, to remove it to the public area in front of the chief temple, where are heaped together the contributions of several tribes. A floor of clean leaves is laid, eight or twelve feet in diameter ; on this, where they abound, is placed a layer of cocoa-nuts, on which are heaped up the baked taro and yams, to the amount of several tons. The next tier is formed of vaTcalolo, the generic name of native pud- dings, the fresh green envelopes of which glisten with the sweet nut oil. Surmounting this pedestal of food are two or three hogs, baked whole, and lying on their bellies. As the natives, in killing these, generally break the snout across, they do not present the quiet appearance of dead pigs, but look as though they snarled defiance on those assembled to eat them. When everything is ready, all is publicly offered to the gods, to whom a share is voted, the rest being reserved for the visitors. On these occasions profusion is always aimed at : waste is the con- sequence, and want follows. At one public feast, I saw two hundred