Path: news.cs.indiana.edu!usenet.ucs.indiana.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!usenet.coe.montana.edu!news.u.washington.edu!corona.math.washington.edu!benjamin From: benjamin@corona.math.washington.edu (Benjamin Schoenberg) Newsgroups: rec.juggling Subject: A Raspyni talks of Tonga Date: 10 Feb 1993 21:52:55 GMT Organization: University of Washington, Mathematics, Seattle Lines: 52 Message-ID: <1lbtfnINNc1v@shelley.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: corona.math.washington.edu I'm forwarding this letter to rec.juggling. It's from Barry Friedman of the Raspyni Brothers, who tells of his trip to Tonga! ------------------------------------------------------------ From barryf@seer.gentoo.com Sun Feb 7 19:39:27 1993 To: benjamin@corona.math.washington.edu Subject: Re: Tonga (was Re: records) Hi, I am not exactly sure of how to post this letter in rec.juggling so I think it is going to you as E-Mail. Perhaps you could put it on there and let me know how to get it on rec.juggling myself, if you have time. Two years ago, my fascination with the juggling women of Tonga peeked and I accepted a job on a ship that went there, mainly to see what was going on there for myself. I knew it was going to be interesting the day before we got to Tonga, the ship docked in American Samoa and there were a bunch of women there who grew up in Tonga. I had 5 balls with me and started to do a shower pattern in the town square. They were so shy at first and then, after one of them came over and talked to me, they couldn't keep their hands off the balls. I was amazed at what I was seeing. There were 5 of these very large, strong, thick women lining up to juggle silicon balls! They loved the feel of them. They all told me that they hadn't juggled since they were little girls in school, yet most of them could still do 4 balls in a shower, one could do 5! I didn't see any of them doing 8 but I was still a day away from Tonga, maybe there I would see more than 5 go round and round. Although, I only had 5 with me! I took 3 of Dan Holzman's with me then next day just in case. If I were going to run across a 50 year old Tonga woman that could do 8 balls in a shower, I didn'twant a lack of props to get in the way. In Tonga, I struck out. I think that it really is a dying sport among the young girls in school. I found a few locals that remembered it but said that they didn't do it in school any longer. They told me stories that may have grown in their minds over the years. My best memory of the trip I still have on audio tape. I had my tape recorder with me and learned that when the girls juggled, they always sang a song. The song in beautiful and it is in a real silly voice. It goes, "fu-a fu-a" etc... I crack up everytime I come across the tape and put it in the player. That is my little bit on Tonga. I was glad that the ship stopped in American Samoa the day before or I would never have experienced even the little I did. The women became so playful and childlike while juggling and once they put the balls down, they returned to being very stoic and business-like. The magic of juggling, huh? Barry Friedman Raspyni Bros. P.S. We just taped a Comedy on the Road in Vegas Thrusday night and it will air sometime in March. I will have to find out the date and post it here on rec.juggling.