Constructing Identity through Ceremonial Language in Rural Fiji

Abstract

This article re-examines the sevusevu, a ceremonial presentation of kava in Fiji, in light of recent literature on globalization. Scholars have traced the sevusevu to Fijian assumptions about the polity and about the cosmos and have argued that sevusevu reproduce assumptions about rank and are used to negotiate relative status. This essay argues that such concerns are now secondary to using sevusevu to define a meaningful place for rural Fijians in national and international contexts through asserting that their tradition is more valuable than money. (Fiji, political language, formal speech, kava, ethnicity, globalization) ********** There is perhaps nothing that captures the essence of Fijian culture better than the sevusevu, the ceremonial presentation of kava (Fijian: yaqona), a mildly narcotic root central to ritual and sociality in many Pacific societies. The sevusevu is a central component of all life-cycle rituals, social gatherings, healing ceremonies, and community meetings. Visitors and locals alike regard the sevusevu as an essential element of Fijian culture both because its occurrence is so frequent and because the sevusevu seems to encapsulate such central cultural themes as the preoccupation with relative rank, the high value placed on sociality and hospitality, and the pervasive and delicate elaboration of ceremonial (Katz 1993:326) into everyday contexts. One of the most popular tourist guides to Fiji illustrates the way that the sevusevu has become emblematic of Fijian culture with its detailed description of protocol in a sevusevu and a warning to tourists that correct mastery of this protocol is necessary to acceptance in a Fijian village. [T]he ceremonial preparation [of kava] is the most honored feature of the formal life of Fijians, Tongans, and Samoans. It is performed with the utmost gravity according to a sacramental ritual to mark births, marriages, deaths, official visits, the installation of a new chief, etc.... The guests present a bundle of waka (dried yaggona [1] root) to the hosts, along with a short speech explaining their visit, a custom known as sevusevu. The sevusevu is received by the hosts and acknowledged with a short speech of acceptance.... [After the ceremonial mixing of the kava, the] mata ni vanua [chief's spokesman] then says talo (serve). The cupbearer squats in front of the tanoa [bowl] with a mbilo (half coconut shell), which the mixer fills. The cupbearer then presents the first cup to the guest of honor, who claps once and drains it, and everyone claps three times. The second cup goes to the guests' mata ni vanua, who claps once and drinks. The man sitting next to the mixer says aa, and everyone answers (empty). The third cup is for the local chief, who claps once before drinking, and everyone claps three times after. The mata ni vanua of the first local claps once and drinks, and everyone says matha. The same occurs of the second local and his mata ni vanua. After these six men have finished their cups, the mixer announces, Sa matha saka tuna yaggona vaka turanga (the bowl is empty my chief [2], and the mata ni vanua says thombo (clap). The mixer then runs both hands around the rim of the tanoa and claps three times. This terminates the full ceremony, but then a second bowl is prepared and everyone drinks. During the drinking of the first bowl complete silence must be maintained. (Stanley 1996:528-29) While there are minor regional variations in sevusevu protocol within Fiji, the description captures the central features of the event. First, the sevusevu is highly formalized and the precise prescription of behavior sets the event apart from day-to-day life and gives it a sacred aura. It is the kind of speech Bloch (1975) calls formal. Bloch noted that public oratory among the Merina of Madagascar followed such a highly predictable formula that little new information was conveyed in speeches. …