WAYS OF THE WILD.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 261, 3 November 1928, Page 1 (Supplement)

WAYS OF THE WILD.

A Wholesome Food.

A NATURALIST'S NOTEBOOK.

THE HUE.

(By A. T. KTCROFT.)

I am indebted to Mr. T. W. Downcs, Wanganui, for some seeds of the Hue, a gourd brought by the Maoris from Polynesia when they first colonised New Zealand. Cheeseman says the native country of this plant is uncertain, but it is cultivated everywhere in the tropics. It belongs to the cucurbitaceae, that is, the family of plants to which the cucumber, melon and gourd are common examples. It is a natural and well denned order, spread over the tropic* and warmer portions of the temperate zones, and is nearly absent in cold climates. There are about 6eventy genera and nearly five hundred species. The order is mainly important on account of the edible fruits which many species produce, as the pumpkin, melon, water melon, cucumber, etc.

For at least thxee thousand years the cucumber has been cultivated in Northern India, where it probably originated. The gherkin cucumber is a native of Jamaica, and is largely grown in the West Indies for pickling. The gherkins commonly used in pickles are young cucumbers.

The hue, having been introduced into New Zealand, is not included as an indigenous plant. We have, however, one member of the cucurbitaceae family in New Zealand. This sole indigenous genus sicyds, also occurs in America, the Paciific Islands and Australia. It is to be

found in various places on the coast as far south as Hawke's Bay, but is more plentiful on the outlying islands. The writer met with it on the Taranga, or Hen Island, from where specimens and fruit were obtained, the fruit resembling small gherkins, measuring slightly more than half an inch and were densely covered with barbed spines. To the Maori this plant was known as mawhai and in Maori mythology is said to have sprung from hue seed planted by the Priestess Marama. The scientific name of the hue is Lagenaria vulgaris. The first name from the Latin—a flask—was no doubt given on account of the shell of the dried fruit being used in many countries as a water container.

The Rev. Mr. Oolenso tells us that the Maoris planted the hue seed in a damp, rich soil, and that this highly useful plant was annually raised from seed and was their only one so propagated, and, curiously enough of this plant, though yielding seed in plenty, there was only one species and no varieties. Its seeds, before sowing, were wrapped up in a few dry fern fronds and steeped in running water for a few days. It was to the Maori of great service, furnishing not only a prized and wholesome vegetable food (or rather fruit) during the hot summer days before their kumaras were ripe for use, but was also of great use in many other ways.

It was a pleasing sight to see it growing in a suitable soil, as it grew fist ; -Hindi looked remarkably healthy : its numerous leaves, large white flowers and -fruit, the latter often of all sizes, from that of a cricket ball up to that of a globular, pear-shaped or spheroidal figure, capable of holding several gallons. As an article of food it was only used when ' young and always cooked. Baked like the kumara and taro, in their common earth oven, and eaten like them, both hot and cold, prodigious numbers of them were formerly daily consumed in the summer season.

It was from this plant that the Maoris obtained all their useful vessels for holding water, oils, cooked animal food, etc. This was done by tarefully drying and hardening the fully-matured fruits with the heat of the sun and fire, and just as carefully scooping out all their contents through a small hole made near the stalk end.' In the very small calabashes, so made they kept their perfumed oils and rouge for anointing; of the medium-sized and large ones they made useful dishes and all their common water calabashes, while the few very largest were neatly manufactured into pots for holding preserved and potted birds.

Handed Down as Heirlooms. For this purpose the stalk end was cut off and it was ingeniously fitted with a hollow, cylindrical neck of carved hardwood, cut out of one piece, and always made large enough to admit a man's hand through it. This was firmly fixed on above, while below the rotund vase was also fitted with three or four legs to stand on and to keep it off the ground. These big vessels were always prised and taken great care of. Sometimes they were named and some lasted a whole generation or longer and were handed down as heirlooms. Mr. T. W. Downes, in a recent article vac the "Polynesian Journal," tells us that these calabash vessels were called "tana" by the Maoris, and that they were highly valued can be gathered from the fact that many old ones are remembered in song and story. That they were formerly largely used is suggested by the historical note that when, on the occasion of a marriage, one hundred calabashes of Huahua (said to be all pigeons) were sent to Whanganui from Te Kapua, many of which held upwards of one hundred birds. Downes states the fully-ripe gourds were thoroughly sun dried and oiled, a portion of the stalk end was cut off, leaving a round hole from about four to five inches in diameter. A wooden neck or mouthpiece was made, usually out of matai timber, with the grain vertical. This mouthpiece was usually five inches deep and was almost invari- ' ably elaborately carved. The vessel was • enclosed in a net or a closely-woven flax 1 basket fabric, with handles and suspension gear attached. Two vines were usually passed round the outside of the network and bound together, serving to protect the frail vessel. In some cases four legs were attached to these vines and the vessel was decorated with feathers indicating the species of bird preserved. The enveloping fabric was. , woven round the vessel in one piece, Elsdon Best states that « W «f Plenty tradition is to the effect ttat the gourd was the first food jnvduct mtroduced into these islands. The plants were often grown m small hollows in the soil—"dishes," as Cook termed them. The fruit of the gourd assumed different forms and each had its name. A pear-shaped gourd from New Zealand, now in the British Museum, had apparently been used as a musical instrument. It had a hols sear the shank and three more boles at one sjde at the wider efid, of ths gogrd,