Kava Bowls & Cups

KAVA BOWLS & CUPS Kava bowls are known as "Tanoa" (Tah no ah) in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Tahiti. In Hawai'i the bowl is named "Kanoa" (Kah no ah). In Hawai'i the outside of the bowl is usually carved with an in-curve and flat bottom, whereas, in the other countries, the bowl will have a lip and four or more legs. All bowls hand made by master carvers and are made of the finest and sometimes quite rare hardwood of each country. Kava was first drunk thousands of years ago by sucking through a straw the liquid which had been placed in a leaf-lined pit in the ground. It was the Tongan master carvers who began the process of making bowls from their finest hardwood (which incidentally was obtained as war plunder from Fiji). The Fijiians copied the Tongan design, but also made ceramic bowls from the clay at Sigatoka, one of the major Lapita pottery sites.
	Bowls come in all diameters and capacities, but all are used only for kava ('awa pronounced ah vah in Hawaiian). A bowl used by a family is usually considered sacred and may have been passed down from generation to generation. Many have names. In Fiji, a long coconut sennit cord with the sacred white cowrie shells is attached and is used to hang the bowl so that nothing can defile it. In a ceremony, this cord is extened in the direction of the most important person who will be given the first cup. Family bowls usually are 14-18 inches in diameter and hold from two quarts to a gallon of liquid. For important ceremonies which will be attended by many dignitaties, a bowl three to four feet in diameter is used. Many are ornately decorated with ornate incising as well as mother-of-pearl inlays. Some are carved to special shapes such as the turtle (symbol of long life)
Kava is drunk from half-shell coconut cups. Most cups are made from the shell which has been cut on the vertical plane, but in Hawaii, cups cut on the horizontal (long) plane were reserved for priests. All shells have been hand scraped and sanded inside and out, and some are give a high outside polish. In some societies, the cup is so personal, the owner carries it strung from his belt, and no one else drinks from it. However, more frequently, a cup is shared by the circle of drinkers (kava has antiseptic properties). Sometimes a bowl of fresh water sits next to the server, who rinses the cup after each person has drunk. Some cups are incised with symbols, tikis or other designs.