Tree wea “Krae” and Spesol “Wata” Bilong Hem
‘Iusim balsam for pain,’ Jeremiah 51:8 hem sei. For faendem tree wea givim disfala samting wea feel naes and healim man, iumi bae go long island bilong Chios, long Aegean Sea.
LONG start bilong hot season, olketa farmer long Chios prepare for harvest long spesol wei. Bihaen olketa swipim graon, olketa wakem wanfala flat area bilong white clay raonem olketa mastic tree. Then olketa farmer kat go insaed skin bilong tree, wea kosim tree for “krae.” “Wata” wea isisi kamaot from tree garem klia kala. Bihaen tu-thri week, olketa drop hia kamap strong and olketa farmer kolektem, maet stret from tree or from datfala clay area long botom bilong tree. Olketa “wata” hia garem nem gum mastic, and olketa iusim for wakem balsam.
Bat, bifor harvest, man need for waka hard and for patient. Datfala tree, wea body bilong hem gray kala and bend-bend, savve grow slow tumas. Hem tek 40 go kasem 50 year for wanfala tree kamap mature and kasem hae bilong midolwan tu and thri meter.
Bihaen olketa katem body bilong tree and kolektem “wata,” olketa need for duim moa waka for kasem mastic. Bihaen olketa farmer kolektem diswan, olketa separatem, wasim, and putim olketa followim size and quality. Olketa bae klinim moa datfala mastic and then olketa fit for iusim for staka samting.
History Bilong Wanfala Spesol Plant
Datfala Greek word for “mastic” hem join witim wanfala word wea minim “for baetem teeth.” (Matthew 8:12; Revelation 16:10) Disfala nem givim idea hao maet olketa bin iusim mastic for wakem gum for mekem mouth smel gud.
Barava olo information abaotem mastic hem from Herodotus, Greek man wea raetem history bilong mek-faev century B.C.E. Olketa nara man for raet and doctor bilong bifor—insaed diswan hem Apollodorus, Dioscorides, Theophrastus, and Hippocrates—storyim olketa wei for iusim mastic olsem medicine. Nomata olketa mastic tree grow long olketa saedsea area bilong Mediterranean, Chios nomoa wakem mastic start from samting olsem 50 C.E. And mastic nao main interest bilong olketa kantri wea tekovarem Chios, olsem Rome, Genoa, and Turkey.
Mastic—Iusim Long Planti Wei
Olketa bilong Egypt bifor iusim mastic for healim olketa difren sik, insaed diswan beleran and arthritis. Olketa iusim tu olsem incense and for rabem long dead body. Maet wanfala long olketa samting wea olketa iusim for datfala ‘balsam bilong Gilead’ nao hem disfala mastic tree, wea Bible storyim olsem samting for healim man and for olketa woman putim long feis and for putim long dead body mekem hem smel naes and no rotten kwiktaem. (Jeremiah 8:22; 46:11) Pipol sei tu hao datfala tree wea garem stacte insaed, wanfala long olketa samting insaed holy incense wea smel naes tumas wea olketa iusim for holy samting nomoa, maet hem wankaen mastic tree.—Exodus 30:34, 35.
Distaem, olketa iusim mastic insaed olketa varnish wea protectim olketa oil painting, furniture, and music instrument. Olketa iusim olsem samting for katem daon hot and mekem samting waterproof, and olketa sei hem best samting for strongim dye for kaleko and paint wea olketa artist iusim. Olketa iusim mastic insaed glue and for mekem skin bilong animal kamap leather. From hem smel gud and savve duim nara samting, olketa iusim mastic insaed soap, mekap wea olketa woman iusim, and perfume.
Mastic hem stap long 25 important list bilong olketa medicine raonem world. Long olketa Arab kantri, olketa iusim yet insaed planti hom medicine. Mastic hem insaed filling for teeth and samting for kavarem medicine tu.
Disfala tree wea “krae” and “wata” wea savve iusim long staka wei, wea balsam kamaot from, hem bin healim and mekem man feel naes for planti handred year. Dastawe nao Jeremiah hem sei: ‘Iusim balsam for pain.’
[Olketa Piksa long page 31]
Chios
Harvestim mastic
Kolektem “wata” bilong mastic tree long careful wei
[Olketa Credit Line]
Chios and harvest line art: Courtesy of Korais Library; all others: Kostas Stamoulis