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[Page 438]

Manners & Customs of the S. Sea Islanders

Plantain leaf & the Women begin first gently to turn & shake them about afterwards as they grow more & more flaccid by this operation to squeese them a little increasing the pressure gradualy all which is done merely to prevent the leaves from breaking still as they become more flaccid & spongy they supply them with more of the juice in about 5 minutes the Colour begins to appear on the Veins of the leaves of the Etou & in 10 or a little more all is finishd & ready for straining at which time they press & squeese the leaves as hard as they possibly can The method of straining is this they have for the purpose a large quantity of the fibres of a kind of Cyperus Grass (Cyperus stupeus) calld by them Mooo which the boys prepare very nimbly by Drawing the stalks of it through their teeth or between two little sticks until all the green bark & the branny substance which lays between them is gone in a covering of these fibres then they invelop the leaves & squeesing or wringing them strongly express the dye which turns out very little more in quantity than the liquor employd this operation they repeat several times soaking as often the leaves in the
 

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