ʻAva ceremony
A solemn Samoan ritual of shared ceremonial beverage and oratory.
The ʻava ceremony is a solemn ritual of Samoa and, to an extent, Tonga, in which a ceremonial beverage is shared to mark important occasions. It always includes speeches, oratory, and formal drinking of ʻava, with attention to precedence in drinking order. One of its most important occasions is the bestowal of matai chiefly titles.
Quick Facts
- Plant species
- Piper methysticum
- Maximum plant height
- about seven feet
- Bowl material
- ifilele tree (Intsia bijuga)
- Cup material
- coconut shell
- Strainer material
- bark of the fau tree (Hibiscus tiliaceus)
- Bowl depth range
- three to six inches
- Bowl leg count range
- four to twenty-four
Facts from the source article.
Etymology - ʻava
The Samoan word for the plant and drink is ava, pronounced with a glottal stop, and is a cognate of the Polynesian term kava. Before the letter k was dropped from Samoan, it was termed kava. The reconstructed Proto-Polynesian term kawa derived from Proto-Oceanic kawaʀ, meaning a bitter or potent root. It originally referred to Zingiber zerumbet, used in Austronesian rituals. Cognates include Tongan kava, Hawaiian awa, and Māori kawa, the last meaning bitter or sour.
ʻAva beverage
The beverage is made from dried roots of Piper methysticum mixed with water and strained. The plant grows to about seven feet, with several stems from the roots. The roots, called aʻa ʻava, are cleaned, scraped, and dried in the sun before use.
Ritual items
The bowl for preparing the drink is called a tanoa or laulau, usually made from ifilele wood. It ranges from twelve to thirty inches across, with a depth of three to six inches, and stands on four to twenty-four short rounded legs. A brim runs around the top, and a flange under the bowl is pierced for suspending it with sennit. The bowl was soaked in fresh water to remove woody smell, and ʻava was left in it to develop an enamel-like sheen called tane. Chiefs and orators use the same type of bowl, and the bowl used belongs to the host chief or orator. The coconut shell cup, called tauau or ipu tau ava, is cleaned, polished, and sometimes ornamented. The strainer is made from shredded inner bark of the fau tree.
Ceremony
The ceremony occurs at chiefly title bestowals, formal events, welcoming and farewells of guests, and significant gatherings. Participants sit cross-legged in a circular pattern, with defined positions: leading chiefs at the middle posts, orator chiefs at the front side posts, and ʻava makers at the back posts. The front faces the main road or thoroughfare. The ceremony involves a host party and a visiting party. Key roles include the aumaga (ʻava makers), tufaʻava (distributor who calls names and order), paluʻava (mixer), suiʻava (adds water), tāfau (catches and returns the strainer), and tautuʻava (server). Selection for these roles is an honour, and each must follow protocol.
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