Piper methysticum - Awa, Kava kava
Chewing cava at Tongataboo
from The Seven Sisters of Sleep
by Mordecai C. Cooke 1860
The Ava pepper, or Macropiper methystecium, is even more celebrated for its narcotic propertiesthan the two just referred to. This plant has a thick aromatic wood stalk, and a largeroot, and cordate, or heart-shaped leaves. It is a native of the Society, Friendly, andSandwich Islands, where it is largely consumed. Macerated in water, the stems and rootform an intoxicating beverge, and the leaves are used with the areca nut and lime, in the same manner as the leaves of the other peppers. Mariner gives an account, in his "History of the Tonga Islands," of the use of thisplant. The root is split up with an axe into small pieces, and after being scraped clean withmussel shells, is handed out to those in attendance to be chewed. There is then a buzzin the assembly, contrasting curiously with the silence which reigned before, severalcrying out, "Give me some cava! give me cava," each of those who intend to chew it cryingout for some to be handed to him. No one offers to chew the cava but young persons whohave good teeth, clean mouths, and no colds. Women frequently assist. It is astonishinghow remarkably dry they preserve the root during the process of mastication. In abouttwo minutes, each person having chewed his quantity, takes it out of his mouth with hishand, and puts it on a piece of plantain or banana leaf, or he raises the leaf to his mouth, andputs it off from his tongue, in the form of a ball of tolerable consistence. The differentportions of cava being now chewed, which is known by the silence that ensues, a large woodenbowl is placed on the ground before the man who is to make the infusion. Each person passesup his portion of the chewed root, which is placed in the bowl, wherein they are laid in sucha manner that each portion is distinct and seperate from the rest, till the whole insideof the bowl becomes studded, from the bottom up to the rim, on every side. The man, beforewhom the bowl is placed, now tilts it up a little towards the chief, that he may see the quantity of its contents, saying, "This is the cava chewed." If the chief thinks there isenough, he says, "Cover it over, and let there come a man here." The bowl is covered over witha plantain or banana leaf, if there is not enough, and a man fetches more root to be chewed. Ifthere is enough, the chief says, "mix." The two men, who sit on each side of him, who is toprepare the cava, now come forward a little, and making a half turn, sit opposite to eachother, the bowl being between them, one of these fans off the flies with a large leaf, whilethe other sits ready to pour in the water from cocoa-nut shells, one at a time.
Before this is done, however, the man who is about to mix, having first rinsed his handswith a little of the water, kneads together the chewed root, gathering it up from all sidesof the bowl, and compressing it together. Upon this an attendant says, "Pour in the water,"and the man on one side of the bowl continues pouring, fresh shells being handed to him, untilthe attendant thinks there is sufficient, and says, "Stop the water." The mixture is stirredtogether at the command of the attendant, who then says, "Put in the fow," which is the bark ofa tree stripped into small fibres, and has the appearance of willow shavings. A large quantityof this substance, enough to cover the whole surface of the infusion, is now put in by one of thoseseated beside the bowl, and it floats upon the surface. The man who manages the bowl now beginshis difficult operation. In the first place, he extends his left hand to the further side ofthe bowl, with the fingers pointing downwards and the palm towards himself; he sinks thathand carefully down the side of the bowl, carrying with it the edge of the fow; at the sametime his right hand is performing a similar operation at the side next to him, the fingerspointing downwards and the palm presenting outwards. He does this slowly from side to side, gradually descending deeper and deeper, till his fingers meet each other at the bottom, so that nearly the whole of the fibres of the root are by these means enclosed in the fow, forming, as it were, a roll of about two feet in length, lying along the bottom from side to side, theedges of the fow meeting each other underneath. He now carefully rolls it over, so that the edges overlapping each other, or rather intermingling, come uppermost. He next doubles in thetwo ends and rolls it carefully over again, endeavouring to reduce it to a narrower and firmer compass. He now brings it cautiously out of the fluid, taking firm hold by the two ends, and raising it breast high, with his arms extended; by a series of movements the mass is more and more twisted and compacted together, while the infusion drains from it in a regular decreasing quantity, till, at length, it denies a single drop. He now gives it to the person on his left side and receives fresh fow from the one on the right. The operation is againrenewed, with a view to collect what might before have escaped him, and even a third time tillno dregs are left which this process can remove.
During the above operation, various people are employed in making cava cups from the unexpanded leaves of the banana, folded and tied in a peculiar manner. The infusion being strained, the performance generally occupying a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, the manat the bowl calls out, "The cava is clear." The infusion is now filled into the cups by means ofa bundle of fow which is dipped into the bowl, and when replete with the liquid, held over the cup, and being compressed, the liquid runs out till the cup is filled. With certain other ceremonies the cups are passed round amongst the company.
From this account it will be seen that the beverage is drank immediately after it is prepared, without being in any manner fermented, its intoxicating and narcotic properties must, therefore, be due to the root. This liquor is indulged in to a large extent in the islands of Oceanica, where the natives are generally passionately fond of it.
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