"The Water of Life": Kava Ritual and the Logic of Sacrifice

Abstract

From the earliest period of European contact, foreign observers have been struck by the importance some peoples of the Pacific attribute to kava, a beverage infused from the root of a pepper plant, Piper methysticum. The preparation and drinking of kava is a central component of most rituals in certain island societies, most notably in Fiji and western Polynesia. In Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Futuna, and Uvea kava is associated with a form of ceremonial not found elsewhere. The essential features of this shared ritual format include (i) the seating of the participants in an are in order of rank to the right and left of the presiding chief, (2) a stylized procedure for preparing the beverage, (3) formal commands governing the preparation of the kava issued by the presiding chief or his representative, and (4) the serving of the beverage in order of rank (cf. Burrows 1970:54). This essay attempts to understand the cultural meanings that inform this ritual. The discussion focuses primarily on Fiji but information on other Polynesian societies is also included. Despite the local differences that exist in the kava ritual of the various island groups, the basic form is similar and, as a symbol, kava occupies an analogous position in all the cultures in this region. The analysis here examines the relationship between aspects of the general form of kava ritual, its symbolic content, and the nature of chiefly polities. Kava ritual is shown to be a form of sacrifice, as Leach (1972) notes, but the nature ofthe sacrifice is different than what he suggests. Leach (1972) restricts his analysis to the Tongan kava ritual and to the texts of certain myths that deal with its origin. These suggest to him that the kava plant is identified with a sacrificial victim.