1. 36 T H E O U T R I G G E R J O U R N E Y
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2. T H E O U T R I G G E R J O U R N E Y 37
l e g e n d a r y
e l i x i r
B y k r i s t e n n e m o t o
Kava: The art, tales and controversies
of Polynesia’s 3,000-year-old medicine.
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3. 38 T H E O U T R I G G E R J O U R N E Y
The origins of kavaare steeped in mythological
tales of mourning and spiritual beings. On the Pentecost
Island in Vanuatu, there’s the story of the distraught orphaned
boy who buried his twin sister only to return a week later to
her grave to find the growth of a mysterious plant; or the tale
of the Samoan deity Tagaloa, who hailed kava as the “nectar
of the gods.” Recognized by many as a medicine birthed from
the heavens or a symbolic phallus that gives life to an other-
wise barren and remote land, kava has impacted generations
of Polynesians who deem it “the water of life.”
Traced back thousands of years throughout the Pacific,
kava—the common English term—has been used as a cere-
monial gift for a special occasion or as a sign of respect before
visiting someone’s home. Although kava is used throughout
Polynesia, its name appears in at least 80 different iterations,
including ‘awa in Hawai‘i, ava in Samoa and yaqona in Fiji.
“A lot of our rituals and protocols involve [kava],” says
Inoke Seru Suguturaga, the manager of the Fijian village at the
Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, O‘ahu, and a native of the
village of Mokani in Fiji. “Whether you’re a visitor to one of the
villages within Fiji or a local heading to your cousin’s house for
(Right) Harvesting the kava plant can take place any time of
the year, but once the roots have been extracted, it then takes
another three years before the next roots are harvestable.
(Center) During the kava ceremony, the root is ground (above
left) strained then methodically added to cold water.

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6. T H E O U T R I G G E R J O U R N E Y 41
Traditionally, kava is
prepared by either
chewing, grinding
or pounding the
roots. Grinding is
accomplished by hand
against a cone-shaped
block of dead coral; the
hand forms a mortar
and the coral a pestle.
The ground root is
combined with only a
little water, as the fresh
root releases moisture
during the grinding
process. Pounding is
normally done against
a large stone with a
small log. The product
is then added to cold
water and consumed as
quickly as possible.
dinner, the sevu sevu (presentation of the kava root) is shared
among the visitors and their hosts. It’s to show respect,” he
continues. “You present your sevu sevu to the chief or host
and if they accept it, that means they are allowing you to visit.”
Derived from the pepper family Piperaceae, which
includes more than 2,000 species of herbs, shrubs, small
trees and woody climbers, kava is made from the plant Piper
methysticum, a hardy, slow-growing perennial that can reach
heights of more than 9 feet tall. In “Kava—The Pacific Elixir,”
Vincent Lebot, Mark Merlin and Lamont Lindstrom write
about the birth of kava, explaining how local men uprooted
the plant then pounded it into smaller pieces on a stone.
Virgin girls (or boys in southern Vanuatu) were then obliged
to masticate the root then place it on a banana leaf or into a
large bowl filled with cold water. After it was strained, kava
was served in halved coconut shells to the assembled drink-
ers. By the 19th century, although the method had been car-
ried out for thousands of years prior, colonial administrators
and missionaries claimed the practice unsanitary and it has
since nearly disappeared.
Today, kava is cultivated through its root, which is
pounded into a fine powder then strained and served to
Kava consumers can
expect to feel a tingling
sensation on their tongue
and eventually numbness
and relaxation throughout
their entire body. Used
primarily in Fiji as a
social drink, kava is often
abused by those looking
for a “quick buzz.”

7. 42 T H E O U T R I G G E R J O U R N E Y
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Kava plants are harvested around four
years of age. The plant’s root is classified
under two categories: crown or lateral.
(Above left) Crown roots are large-
diameter pieces while lateral roots (above
right) are smaller in size and resemble
more a typical root. (Above center) After
harvesting, the roots are trimmed into
smaller pieces then dried in sunlight.
distinguished guests. As participants sit in a circle around
meticulously carved kava bowls, the drinking order proceeds
and serves as a model of chiefly hierarchy or head of the
household. In a less-than-formal setting, kava is used as an
end-of-the-day drink without regard to one’s social status.
“To a lot of people, it tastes like muddy water,” says Dr. H.C.
“Skip” Bittenbender, an extension specialist at the University
of Hawai‘i at Mānoa for coffee, kava and cacao. “But it’s a great
way to relax.”
Kava consumers can expect to feel a tingling sensation
on their tongue and eventually numbness and relaxation
throughout their entire body. Used primarily in Fiji as a social
drink, kava is often abused by those looking for a “quick
buzz.” In the early to late 1980s, when kava became popular in
Western culture, demand grew for kava-manufactured prod-
ucts. By the late 1990s, kava products were found in abun-
dance, and reports of liver failure quickly followed throughout
parts of Europe and the United States. Bittenbender says the
difference that scientists found with the concentrated kava
supplements was its simple cultivation method.
“What had happened was they were using the entire plant,”
Bittenbender says. “When you do that, the leaves and parts of
the root are toxic … Polynesians have known that for thousands
of years. The companies didn’t think to consider that.”
“Kava, like anything else, is best done in moderation,”
Suguturaga warns. “Our ancestors had not designed [kava] for
the purpose of drinking in excess. I can understand some man-
ufacturers’ perspective, for they want to get the most mileage
out of the plant; but they should have done their homework.”
Previous studies of kava supplements have determined
that the chemistry of kava — when processed properly — is
far less perilous than the effects of alcohol. Kava is neither a
hallucinogen nor a stupefacient. Rather, it is a mild narcotic,
a soporific, a diuretic and a major muscle relaxant. Owner of

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Fiji Kava in Honolulu, Daya Nand, lauds the use of kava for its
overall medicinal healing and euphoric-mood benefits.
“Kava is good for the mind and body,” says Nand, an Indo-
Fijian whose popular kava shop is found on Honolulu’s busy
Dillingham Boulevard. “It’s nothing like alcohol; many people
often make that mistake. It makes you relaxed, happy but
your mind stays sharp.”
Like Suguturaga and Bittenbender, Nand believes the drink
in moderation is a practice he would like to see continue with
each new generation.
“I’m happy to share it with others who are interested,”
Nand says smiling. “That’s what kava is all about.”
Suguturaga agrees. Although he has reservations about
the widespread and casual usage of kava in Fiji and through-
out Polynesia — as opposed to the “sacred” validity that is
seldom practiced today — Suguturaga believes the communal
effect of the kava drink supersedes its reputation for having
tranquil and anti-anxiety healing benefits.
“In Fiji we have a saying: gunu yaqona mo manoa,”
Suguturaga says. “It translates to ‘drink kava to become mel-
low.’ In Fijian culture, kava is used to solve many problems and
issues. We use kava to gather around and discuss any con-
cerns and ultimately resolve them and move on.”
Kava — a drink associated with creating peace and har-
mony among chiefs, locals and outsiders — has grown into
a symbol of esteem and civility that Suguturaga is proud to
relate to his Fijian culture.
“One of the reputations that Fijians have is that we’re very
happy people,” Suguturaga says. “Kava is a part of that in a
way because we take the time to show mutual respect among
each other. When you establish respect, it creates a type of
protocol of resolution and creates peace.”
“One of the reputations
that Fijians have is
that we’re very happy
people. Kava is part of
that in a way because we
take the time to show
mutual respect ... When
you establish respect, it
creates a type of protocol
of resolution and peace.”
Water is slowly added to grounded
kava. In Fiji, a formal yaqona (kava)
ceremony often accompanies
important religious, social and
political functions, which usually
involve a ritual presentation of the
bundled roots as a sevu sevu (gift), and
then drinking of the yaqona itself.
—Inoke Seru Suguturaga