The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications by Rätsch Christian

Author:Rätsch, Christian [Rätsch, Christian]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Inner Traditions Bear & Company
Published: 2011-10-13T16:00:00+00:00

The majority of the artifacts associated with kava are those used in its preparation and consumption (shells, bowls, mortars, drinking vessels).

The large, round wooden bowls used in preparing kava frequently feature carved legs (often depictions of people). Strings made of coconut fiber are used to attach cowrie shells (Cypraea moneta L., Cypraea annulus L.) to the kava bowls of the chiefs for magical protection. In Samoa, the wa ni tanoa, “king’s vessel,” was sometimes decorated with the renowned gold cowrie (Cypraea aurantium Gmelin), the symbol of the ruler’s office (Ford 1967, 166, 167).

The drinking vessels of Fiji (m’bilo, bilo ni yagona, ipu’ava, ‘apu ‘awa) are made from halves of coconut shells (Cocos nucifera) to which strings of coconut fibers are sometimes attached. The resinous remnants of the drink impart a glasslike finish to these coconut shells after they have been used enough times. This layer is sometimes scraped off and ingested as an especially potent form of kava (Lewin 1886, 27; Singh 1992, 26). In Tonga, banana leaves are woven together to make single-use kava cups. On the Hawaiian and other Polynesian islands, ritual kava-drinking vessels are made from calabash gourds (Lagenaria spp.) (Dodge 1995).

In Fiji and Samoa, there are numerous kava songs that are sung at ceremonies, when greeting people, when making kava, and on other occasions. Some of these songs have been published in ethnomusical recordings (e.g., Unique Fiji: The Nakamakama Villagers in Mekes and Songs, Olympic Records no. OL-6159, 1979). One psychedelic rock band from England took its name—Kava Kava—from that of the inebriating plant. The plant can also be seen in the paintings of some Hawaiian and Polynesian artists.

Medicinal Use

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