Sunday, July 12, 2015

The Amazing Juggling Women of Tonga

When we lived in Tonga, I was delighted to discover the juggling talents of the women. It is not taught to the boys, but I know some males who can juggle too, including my husband.

In elementary school, instead of learning to jump rope, play jacks or hopscotch, the primary students in Tonga learn how to hiko or juggle. They start very young, about five years of age, and some continue on for the rest of their lives.

The girls and women sing a song as they juggle three, four, five, some up to seven pieces of fruit, nuts or balls. Some claim that they can juggle even more items, but since they cannot hold them in their hands, they grab them out of a bowl placed near them. The juggling forms a round shower pattern. They usually discharge the nuts from the left hand, catching them in the right hand, and then transfer them to the left again, keeping them all in the air at once.

Origin
Most Tongans cannot tell you where the origin of juggling in Tonga began. But there is a myth about it. They say it began in the underworld where a lady, Hikuleo,was the goddess. She was a blind, and would snatch the eyeballs of anyone who approached her in the underworld without permission. She would then put them in a wooden bowl and call her girls to sit in her house and juggle with them.

Superstition
Tongans are generally superstitious and the Tongan girls never juggle at night because the spirits of from the underworld are coming up and they look around. If they are caught, their eyeballs may be taken to the underworld.

Benefits
Many Tongan girls have very rapid and accurate hand-eye coordination which they learned from juggling at a young age.

Record Breakers
Wolfgang Schedbeczek reported that the an 8-ball shower by Bruce Sarafian of the USA is the world's best juggler (according to the Guinness book of Records), but he feels that the juggling women of Polynesia probably have him beat.

It is said that Tonga has more jugglers per square mile than any country in the world. Often they have competitions to see who can juggle the longest. As soon as a girl drops a ball, she sits down. The last left standing is the winner.

Women who learned juggling in their youth can remember it even though they have not done it for years. I guess it would be similar to learning a bike and doing it again years later.

Other Cultures that Juggle
Aside from Tongan women, circus clowns and other juggling entertainers, there are a few other cultures that juggle:

Uvea or Wallis Island (north-west of Tonga): Called hapo usually using oranges, also done in time with a little song. They also have competitions juggling up to six oranges at the same time.
Samoa: Called fuaga , up to eight items whilst sitting or standing.

Cook Islands: Called tilitili koua done with immature coconuts (koua) juggled while chanting. Usually only done with three or four small coconuts (since they are larger).

In Southern Cook Islands they juggle other items such as the fruit of the candlenut tree, the seeds of the tamanu tree, or oranges. They are tossed vertically and transferred from one hand to another in anti-clockwise direction accompanied by chants.

Tuamotu: Called pei done in a counter-clockwise rotation - they reverse it to show skill also done to chanting. They weave their balls from plaited coconut leaf (popo). In Tuamotu it is classified as a dance.

Marquesas Islands: Also called pei . Used to teach geneology as they recite their ancestors while doing it. It also gave the mothers a chance to boast of the number of their offspring. They also make their balls out of fau leaves (Hibiscus).

Tahiti: Also called pei , but using stones or limes.



Sunday, July 5, 2015

Ancient Indian Beauty Secrets

Some of the most beautiful women in the world are from India. Their bright beautiful eyes, glowing
skin and shiny thick hair are remarkable. I have several friends who are Indian, mostly from Fiji in the South Pacific, but they have carried down their age-old practices from India.

Tumeric is used in Indian food, but it is also used in beauty supplies in India and is rapidly being adopted in the United States and other places. Tumeric exfoliates dead skin to reveal a brighter complexion. It is usually mixed together with honey (one of nature’s best moisturizers) for normal-to-dry skin. You can make your own complexion-beautifying cleanser at home. In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp. of honey with a pinch of tumeric powder (do not too much since it can stain the skin) and mix until it becomes a paste. Smooth over your face and let it sit for 15 minutes, then rinse.

Indian women take mind-clearing strolls called a prana walk. This is part of the ancient Indian medical practice ayuveda , the common prescription for tiredness and brain fog.
They believe that walks in nature provide exposure to prana, which is the life force in tress, water and plants. Prana flows into the body and corrects any internal imbalances that hinder mental and physical wellbeing. Researchers from the University of Michigan discovered that walking among trees improves short-term memory and attention by 20 percent.

For stress relief, Indian massage called Champissage is used. It focuses on pressure points on the neck, face and shoulders. This massage increases the circulation and efficiency of the lymphatic systems, and helps to disperse damaging toxins. Trapped toxins dull the skin, lead to cellulite formation and weight gain and can dampen immunity and energy. To do this yourself, gently massage your scalp with your fingertips. Next, grab fistfuls of hair by the roots with knuckles close to your head. Turn your head from side to side, tugging your hair lightly. Also, place the heels of your palms on your temples and squeeze, making circular movements. You can also massage the back of your neck with one hand by squeezing the muscles going from top to bottom.

Now for the beautiful shiny thick hair, Indians use coconut-oil conditioner. Coconut contains lauric acid, a saturated fatty acid, which penetrates the hair shaft and bonds to proteins. It can help in healing damaged strands and can fortify locks against breakage. Coconut oil moisturizes the scalp, which wards off dandruff flakes. Massaging coconut oil into the scalp also stimulates the circulation of blood to the area, which helps hair to grown better.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Hawaii Saimin and Ramen Noodles

Ever since I have been living in the South Pacific, the meal we rely on for quick fixings, or the easy anytime snack is saimin, otherwise known as ramen noodles. Saimin is the Hawaiian version of ramen, possibly stemming from the Chinese words sai (thin) and mein (noodle). It is usually served with beef, chicken or shrimp broth. My kids grew up eating it, and they would even eat it raw (not sure how good that was for them), but they survived. Click Here to read a great story of how saimin got started in Hawaii.

Actually, there are many ways you can fix saimin or ramen. To make them more healthy, you can add broccoli, peas, diced carrots, water chestnuts, green onions, grated ginger, mushrooms, cabbage, zucchini, celery, green peppers, spinach, diced tomatoes, or any other veggie that can be steamed quickly.

To add more substance, you can add your favorite meat, including cooked salmon, cooked hamburger, diced and cooked turkey or chicken, diced ham or better yet diced spam, bacon bits, can of chili with beans, ho, the possibilities are endless.

My favorite is to add a couple of scrambled eggs to the boiling noodles. You can even add grated or shredded cheese, light cream, mushroom soup, soy sauce, garlic, thyme, rosemary or parsley. Be brave and experiment.

You can also garnish your saimin or ramen with crushed oregano, lettuce or parsley.

If you like hot food, add a bit of curry, cayenne pepper, red chili peppers, horseradish, or tobasco sauce.

Here are some fun stories from "Everybody Loves Ramen" by Eric Hites.
When I was a kid, we had Ichiban-brand ramen, and we called it "Itchy Bum noodles."
~J. Stormwood

Once I had to ship a glass to my brother (in a hurry, too). I had gotten everything ready to go and I was about to add the packing peanuts, when I realized I forgot to buy some. In a frenzy, I searched my cabinets for something to use for packing. When I opened my cuboard I saw I had a good supply of ramen noodles. So I broke up the packages and used them as filler for the package. The glass arrived safely at my brother's house a few days later! Thanks a bunch, ramen!
~ Dan H.

Do you know that if you ate one package per day, you could eat your weight in ramen noodles in approximately two and one half years?

Did you know that one pound of saimin noodles weighs the same as one pound of gold, but can't eat gold (saimin is great for food storage).

Did you know it would take 432,000 packages of saimin noodles to cover a football field. But you would have to pray that it doesn't rain!