1 They inix %ffo (the inner 'bark o f the tender branches of the (bread*
■ frait %ee "With dhe dbtlbplaSnt, and .prepare i t in tthe fan&e manner..
-Tf a ‘fcfeief, Wnman ^ p ro p e r ty , ihas cloth t© •be made, he fends the
mulberry^pltols i-b bundles to his ftenants, and ithey. mix them with
-the bread-fruit branches, and bring homethenlothwheriprepa-red.
•If ;he needs a ‘piece o f vtay large-fiitneftlions., h e tells them when he
'fhaj fet-lbaat ft': Uhthis day the'womennftike diftridt aienable with
their beetles, eadh bringing a quaritityof materials j^and theground
being covered with plantain-leaves, th e y place their w o rk Inia -line,
and fet to !it all together, -‘beating sehtte "to a fong given -out rbyfone
•'o'f thfeir principal (helpers-; and "when (they fir ik e aipy mafeet^ygfi:
•noife, two hundred -fometimes beittgsempfcyednih one-pieee of icloth
3btirffHfebHfs wide, i&nd fostyftahasns long.
Their oloth ts made o f a variety o f icedcairsV lDlack,’ white, * and
feveral fliades o f orirafen, yellow, tgiwy, and brown. k: The blade (is
dyed with th e ifep o f the taountain-pltottiin, tor under thertootslpf
fh ch i&lc<^.anutitrnes.'as grow ha wetland fw3mpyg*buBds,?whem(ife^
■ lay the dloth tb foak fo r a >da»y Or tw o , then dry it, repeating- the
spfoedfs tfH -it becomes -a deep black, when it is wafhed inefy tuvater
%o f i t rthe dolour. This as ^called noweiy. :;.28ie brown is
tanned with the bark o f - feveral 'trefespefperially rthertSa, i whiehigives
a fine bright colour, heightened by the fun. The bark 4s feraped
‘Wifh-a-fhsll, tfndfafwr ilyihg^ouiifufe in water, and Wrung •'sut. i^ e
-cloth is -dipped 'initbehtfufian, and fpread dn fchefun to d»y ^.-repeating
the operitfon till it becomes a fine bright tbrowny tailed hee fo akl
p ow h ltfe . T he yellow is ejetraxfled from turmericVor reya, fyhidd
grows here in gfmt abundance, the country being»ovter-run-with rit,
to d edpaWeofifofnifMflg any quantity, as well as'eif Jpoohey» ay%?®r
ginger, T h e g fa y isi the nathrad colourof the-cloth when mnbleached. ;
after bdttg h a lf1 worn dttmaylbeedyed brown, andfibtted with white,
b y paging two efeths together; this is called hopaa. T h e .yrdd »is
produced ffOrnt he 'fnattde berry.
When the brown cloth is worn out they .bark the branches 'of the
bread-fruit, and m ix/fh^oldbtowupjoth with the now bark,- beating
them together, w%i$h;makes,a mottle^ pieqg; this.,tbeytjdip in a light,
yellow,prepared^from the roofeof a fhrub ^le,d,- nyt10! fsyhiph gives it
a beautiful appearancet they line it alfo-with whtife, and infafipg
perfumes in the yeljowt dy% jG^ll» tJbw-Gjoftl^opsttfa -potta ;■ th e y |&jx£
yet another kind ;qf cloth|c^eefrnarja, made of-tlie mulberry bark,
half beaten:; this .eonftfts- ©f feveral layers §f^jrregular thickness, fpr*
upper.garments. 'At'this the_arcljg§gs*h$e peculiarly expert, though it is
reckoned womenVwork, arid require fkill;and -nicety in- thfrjojpipg,
to prevent the part pafted onfromfti^gning th^elotbn -this, they paint
with a beautiful erimfon called tnattde,- extracted frojn n‘ bqrry
growing’ onha tree of-;the fame- name, i -'fhe exprefied }uicf &!§%>
berry they mix with the leaves of another tree called tow, and:
imprint fprigs and leaves. on the cloth by wetting them with tins
juice, -and imprefling them on the cloth according; to their Ja$gy9
Tbs; berries o f the mattde ore brown when rife, o f the fi^e o f g: j
and being, 'gathered, they nl^them between the thijimb and fiogpy.
exprefltng a ydk>W drep or two, which t'hejf ;ipF#ih}e ,§n
fhe-tqw, by bjtt-ingtojje h tod1 againft fthujfither sn two/ three ■ drop^-
fuffice for a leaf. When the berries are all nipped, and the leaves
wettfed, they are worked with the hands in a ''YiSndgffctray, ipJffW'iflg
water on them till a beautiful crimfon colour hegPiS to appear, when
they exppefs the dye, from the leaves, and throw -them .T h e y
Jay on1 the-colour with ?a+ fmall bru.fh .p fv fljp g y fibres,, made fif
a ru & cafled nadoo; Hkea etoiel%ihw .^ncdl>'•,
There aie other trees from which cloth'-is-made, but the preiepfs js ^
fame in i lk : Sometimes they pafte together.pjeces p f difharent coinjifs,.
cut into curious fhapes,>im which difplay tafte-the
The^^^Wotrfen,. with.thekiennniae mnle aSbeiates« the^o^h,*
the men provide; the materials- The beam ion which the harh; is
fpread is.about twelve feet long, "made o f hard. wp°%called mayrpj
fquated to fix or eight inches, apd finely fifiC'Othed p n the upper. fide..
The beetles' are formed o f ,toa,. about fourteen, inches long, and,two