Black Palm/Buai???

[JMG]

Here in PNG EVERYONE chews this nut called "Buai" or Beetlenut in English. Yesterday, one of our national workers here on the base cut down a couple wild buai trees, also called Limbum here (though this means nothing as many other things are called this as well.) He told me that this is what most of the bows are made out of. So, I thought it fitting to cut a few chunks off of the tree to make me a couple PNG style bow and arrows. When I cut it I thought "Hmm...this looks like that Black Palm stuff a lot of you guys use as extensions?" The more I look at it the more it looks like Black Palm. Anybody have any thoughts? Here are some pics of a little bitty bow I'm making with the wood for my co-workers 3 y.o. son. so you can have a look at the wood.

[hawky454]

The end grain looks exactly like Black Palm. Isn't that Beetlenut stuff highly addictive? Do they spit all the time?

[JMG]

The end grain looks exactly like Black Palm. Isn't that Beetlenut stuff highly addictive? Do they spit all the time?

No more addictive than coffee i would say. I've tried it, but it's pretty dern nasty. Not sure how it ever caught on...or was found out in the first place. They first chew the nut and spit the juice, then dip a bean-type thing (called "daga") in a fine white powder "lime" (called "kambang," which is made of ground up sea shell,) then bite a bit off of that and it turns the buai a bright red....and yes, they spit AAAAAALLLLLLLL they time. Looks like they got into a bad bar brawl. But to each his own.

[hawky454]

Yeah I read about that stuff in "Wicked Plants" The author claims it's very addictive, to the likes of cocaine. Sounds pretty nasty. I hear in the towns where it's very popular the streets are red with the spit. NASTY!

[Bosaiya]

The end grain looks exactly like Black Palm. Isn't that Beetlenut stuff highly addictive? Do they spit all the time?

I've chewed plenty of it. It's an excellent way to clean the palate. I've not known it to be the least bit addictive. You could swallow it but most people spit it just like tobacco chew.

Just the other day I was thinking I needed to pick up some more!