by David Nalo

For the average Ni-Vanuatu, kava is associated with ‘spel’ – an opportunity to rest and socialise. For some it is ‘adults only’ moments. In the past Kava was for adults only. Today young people also use it – mainly to socialise. With adults it was used to socialise at another level. Depending on who you talk to and where they are, some associate kava with special occasions. Kava is associated with ceremonies.

Women will have their opinions on kava. This will depend on whether a woman drinks kava or not and whether she understands the different uses of kava. Some women and some men often view it as a disruption to family routine and so do not like it much. Family oriented people frequently look at the negative sides of kava due to abuse by family members. Negative kava effects are associated with laziness, waste of money, not being productive, being physically and mentally slow resulting in poor decision-making and being unreliable.

Some families have more self-control and feel that kava brings them certain benefits, keeping everyone together, balanced, when kava is shared as a group. Drinking sparely in a manner that does not disturb family routine unduly, gains respect.

In parts of Vanuatu, Kava is still for people of status only and therefore often only males. In some parts women of status may be accepted in the circle of kava, especially in cultures that are based on kinship with female lines. Vanuatu is an archipelago of several cultures with over 100 languages. Hence this will not be the same from island to island and will depend on cultures. Views will vary such as:

Whether kava should be for women only or adults only Whether kava should be for people of status only Whether kava can be consumed in kava bars on a daily basis for business, or whether it should only be consumed in the Nakamal One cannot say it is all the same throughout Vanuatu. We are of diverse cultures under one government created through colonisation. Pre-colonial times each island was its own government with its own systems, its own languages, and its own ways of doing things, which included its own ways in the use of kava. And this remains generally the same today. It is important to note that it is not the same across the country.

Those who come across Kava for the first time will find the smell unpleasant, it is difficult to view as a brew to be consumed easily. And the earthy taste itself reinforces that view. Yet once past that stage, when one thinks of kava, one thinks ‘relax’. It brings you down, brings calm, gives you downtime. That feeling is the reason why it became popular in the old days, and why it has become popular today, hence the famous phrase “you don’t drink kava for its taste”.

Though Vanuatu is diverse with many islands spread out across its ocean and though the rules on kava in these islands are different, the common element in the archipelago is the Kava effect: Once you get past the ceremonial purpose, the social aspect, the taste and smell, what is common across the board is that you reach a point once Kava has entered your system where you can stand and view each other with mutual respect - you, the person you drink with, those around you – this feeling is shared and is intrinsic in Vanuatu Kava: from the north to the south of the country. And so, if you are from Tanna, and you come all the way and see me up north and you talk of Kava, I know what Kava will do to us once we both drink it; And we will focus on that and build a relationship around it. And likewise, if you were to travel from East to West Vanuatu. Kava creates a temporal space, a platform to move a thought forward.

We know what we know of Kava from our kastom stories. Some point to animals as the ones to have discovered Kava. Having observed the effects on animals, we tried it and it became tradition to the point where it became part of our culture. In Vanuatu today, generally speaking, often our culture is male dominant. The idea that only men drink was born from the kastom stories that a man was the first to try it, and so men decided that it was only for men up until very recently (15 years ago) when it started becoming common for women to drink Kava.

Kava was reserved in the old days for ceremonies only. Kava drinking was not something that was brought out in the open. It was either done in the Nakamal to close business or for ceremonies in the Nasara. Kava was used around those areas. In some cultures, men would (and still do) carry out their daily work, and at the end of the day bring a head of Kava to the Nakamal to meet with other men to story before returning home. Some cultures have women prepare kakai to place at the Nakamal in the evening where men eat their evening meal separately from the women after drinking kava, before returning at the setting of the sun.

Even though our cultures are different and our islands geographically separate, people moved around long ago to seek exchange. Kava was and still is used as an instrument of trade and barter, together with pigs, food and other items between tribes and between islands, bringing inter-connectedness. On occasion the Kava used in the exchange will be consumed by the parties involved, strengthening connections. When Kava was discovered, it became something of value to the ones that discovered it. They could now wokabaot with it, market it and use it as an instrument to gain something of great value to them from another people. Hence the spread of Kava throughout the archipelago and throughout the Pacific. As it travelled it went with instructions on how it was to be used and why it was important. It was taken and used by others and it became theirs, and respectively used for their own bartering.

When Kava spread into towns after independence in the mid-eighties, the Nakamal concept was brought into town. And so, the understanding of Nakamal in town compared with the understanding of Nakamal in its place of origin changed. Back in the days it was tabu for children to come close to a Nakamal in town. These Kava bars in town formed when certain families practiced the habit of drinking kava in the cultural manner. They began forming groups to meet and drink Kava at a location in town within cultural/family circles. Slowly this grew to include others outside the circle. As the popularity of Kava grew, and the demand for it rose, it turned into a commercial activity. Some children born in town today that do not have the proper education do not know the difference between the kastom Nakamal & the Kava bar. Anyone can now have a shell of Kava for a price. In the past it was reserved, and a Nakamal was a place reserved for people of status in society. Nowadays Kava has become commercialised and generally inclusive.

Reasons for drinking Kava have changed. It changed when money came in. In Vanuatu culture one can only access an item if it is inherited or if one has purchased the right to it whether through bartering or any other way. This gives power to people and is more flexible in places that are not under kastom governance; that is town. Once you are in town you have a certain liberty hitherto not found in the governing system which states what is tabu on the island, and now things that were previously tabu are now accessible. If you have a status of job and money you become relatively untouchable, and if you want to drink kava you can buy it because you have money. As a woman for example, you can rock up and say ‘my money is as good as his money’ and then other women see that and become comfortable and confident enough to say ‘we bought it, we can drink it’, and this causes the dynamics in the islands to change as well. Eventually the trend goes beyond municipal limits and compromises are made and cultural norms change.

In many of our Vanuatu cultures, a grandfather’s activity at night was predominantly telling stories to children. As children many of us (at least in the Banks islands and Ambrym) do not remember our fathers or grandfathers taking kava. But we can only speak for ourselves – this may be different for other cultures. We do not know how much damage was made to individual cultures with the influx of foreigners, as practices were hindered and stopped in some cultures. Those that were accommodating and flexible were the first ones from whom traces of cultural activity were rubbed out. And then there were those who were easily influenced. Those who were stronger made new paths to retain their fundamental cultural values. What we do know is that Kava spread throughout the archipelago facilitated by the bartering system until it gained greater popularity and value in the late nineties. Its commercial success exploded as it earned recognition and provided economic boost. Farmers traded for kava stems and large-scale planting began everywhere.

In some kastom stories, Kava was secret. It grew out of burial domains and thus the plant was treated with respect and used in ceremonies. In Vanuatu Kava is analogous to respect. The act of drinking Kava with someone is akin to showing that person respect. In most ceremonies, it is deemed that Kava must be shared in Kastom to maintain and seal respect of the ceremony.

Long ago when Kava was consumed in ceremonies, those who partook placed themselves fully in the moment; physically and mentally consciously present, particularly at the presentation of the first shell, the point at which a speaker makes a declaration or a solemn utterance. Everyone is fully focused on these words and holds them mentally as they drink the first shell. In that moment all involved are as one. They are committed. Respect is present. That first shell is an agreement, a seal, a conclusion, a recognition. After that moment all would separate and work towards the commitment that was made. That is no longer so strong today.

It is almost as if Kava ceremony is a tradition and the rest is for show – like tradition without Kastom, which is respect itself. Politics and political powerplays have contributed largely to downplaying respect in Kava ceremonies – the respect is fully present and real in the moment itself, but at times the agreement is not fulfilled, not fully accomplished, undermining the Kava ceremony that took place and tinging the respect that was given. Kava ceremonies are as real today as they were hundreds of years ago, yet the accomplishments are not as fulfilled in today’s world with changing norms and modernity. The widespread use of Kava may have contributed to this unwittingly. Yet the approach is alive and for those that hold respect in their hearts, for those who have been brought up in or believe in Kastom, accomplishing respect will live