KAVA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17028, 30 April 1923, Page 3

KAVA.

THE WINE OF THE ISLANDS. Written fur t!,e “ star." U!v IK PAX A.) Xlie Polynesian. l>e he- Tahitian, Karotongan, .Samoan or 'iengan, is forbidden the consumption oi spirituous iiyuors 01 the ivhlte man beloved. Ihe restriction does not worry Inn, overmuch, tie gets sumcieiit of the glad led in u irom his own. particular brand oi tipple - Ka.va—alld mighty little ol tile dark blown taste that is the sequel Uj ."mite man’s convivial evening. lime was when the mode ol brewing savoured of tne primitive. The prcLtlesL girls 111 the village were assemoled, a huge wooden bowi placed in tbeii midst, and the kava root passed round, -kadi maiden 100 k a bite oi the stringy stuff and with hands on knees and eyes fixed on the bowl commenced to chew, it was hard work. They gurgled and swished and rolled the* cirv bark in their mouths, chew, chew, ‘ chew, until the fibre was soft. At a given signal from the party in charge of tho function tney ejected the lump into the vessel ami patted and squeezed the pulp into little pellets, v* at-.-r cloth brought nuo use. ami uei J n,.um» alternately invoking ...J mixing prothe wine of i.ac’lsl«mls." T here are ~till greybeards and bent old women 111 the A'HCitic that tril ol the wild nights of long ago when the beating ot a log iugplace where the girls chewed and nraoe eyes, and the flavour of the beverage was goodly. They sigh, do these oid people, at the memory. Times have changed. The advent of the white man. sewing machines, and cotton prints, altered the outlook of che simple islander. The trader developed a taste. . for kava. but insisted ou more Jiygeuic methods of preparation. The pretty girls in the village were. gradually relieved of their chewing, and stones were substituted for jaws as a crushing medium. To-day fctava drinking is quite an institution in the islands. The whites indulge; the brown men mix it up with births, deaths and marriages. On the beach at Apia, at Nukualofa and Papeete it takes the place of eleven o'clock beef •tea. To the native of the country it is all that whisky is to Tonal M Duff, red wine to Jaques le Pinaud, and ice-water to the Yank. This is how the tourist sees th* kava drinking: A smoky lamp illumines the interioi ol a native house. Tiny puffs oi oooi

air drift in thro ugh the reed bljndi that serve as walls, and the soft rustling of the palm* outeido tells of n dreamy scented breeae. The floor mat* are comfortable, and thereon squai half a dozen people ol tbe country. li< the centre of the group is a. big wooden bowl, two stones, a bucket of water some dried kava root, and a few hall shells of coconuts garni«h the centre piece. One of the group whispe '* something A girl arises, s root and proceeds to pouu-d it be twees the stones. Tt is reduced to powdei and fibre, placed in the bowl, and an other piece operated on until a layei of chips and yellow dust covers the bottom. Water is poured in. the mixture stirred, and -strained till not a vestiii« of pulp remains, nothing but a brown, thick-looking fluid. A maw calls youi name to the maid officiating at the Howl. You clop your hands, and fee’ 1 foolish. Kava does not look in the least appetising. Actually it is woi than it looks. You handle the 1-1 coconut shell gingerly. close your eye* say Ota atu'”' 'Good Vuck). 'aV.d' >r. ; low the stuff. What a flavour! N« one has been able to describe it ado* qnately. though tourists, missionaries, journalists, sea captains, prime ministers. globe trotters and touring politicians have tried to do so at variant times in their lives. Tt is like a dash of Dover Powder mixed with borax taken in a two-ounce solution of Magsulph. It is awful. You toss the shell hock, make use of your handkerchief and sigh for the breeze outside. The chanting goes on. the calling of names becomes continuous until every person present has drunk of the nectar. And that's a “ fai kava.” the parallel of the white man's theatre party, or joy ride, or the homely supper of fish and chips.