We felt, rather than heard, a slow pulse shaking the earth long before we reached the outer circle of the Fijian village. It seemed to be the sleeping heartbeat of the jungle herself – deep, wet and heavy. Thud… Thud… Thud. The impact tremors increased as we approached the village. This was the sound of kava root being pounded in a huge wooden bowl. The narcotic plant is beaten into a dirty powder by repeated crushing with huge wooden poles. The constant, rhythmic rising and falling of the mashing pole sounds like distant jungle drums. This deep, organic sound is almost as mesmerizing as the effects of the tranquilizing muddy brew it helps to creates. Slow and stupefying – this is the sound of Fiji’s kava heartbeat.

Make no mistake: Fiji is the Kava capital of the world. Many of the adult male population spend a good part of their day in the foggy grip of Kava. And it is very much a boys only club. Following long tradition, drinking kava is not considered an activity suitable for women. In fact, in some villages you will find the women out working in the fields, taking care of the children and cooking the meals while the men-folk pass their days sitting crossed legged on the floor in darkened huts swilling back their muddy brew.

The proper, slow preparation of Kava follows methodical and time-honoured rituals. After the stringy root of the kava (also known as yaqona) plant has been smashed into a pulp it still needs much preparation before it is ready to drink. First, the kava pulp is placed in a wooden ornamental dish about 3 feet in diameter, known as a Tonoa. A small amount of water is added and the resulting sludge is then stirred and strained repeatedly through a tight screen made from the coarse bark of the coconut tree. The job of kava strainer is a prestigious position – usually carried out by a young man of some standing in the village, maybe a chiefly relative or friend. Under the watchful gaze of the village’s senior men he drags the bark screen through the bowl, removing large plant fibers and chunks of grit. It seems the slower and more powerfully the strainer drags his bark tool through the mixture the better – if not for the quality of the kava, then for the quality of the ceremony. When the strainer is full of lumps it is shaken clean, wrung out and reused.

When the brew is finally ready for consumption, the senior man in the circle recites a few ritual words of blessing over the bowl. At several points in his blessing the other men sitting around the bowl join in with a deep and resonating affirmation that sounds like the grunt of a large animal. The first time you hear it, this sound enough to make the hairs on your neck stand up. Ritual completed, the chief is the first to be served some of the muddy brown concoction in his own personal cup – made of hal f a hollowed out coconut. After the chief’s cup is filled to the brim, the kava server claps once and the Chief drains his vessel in one long gulp before clapping twice in response. Only then is the rest of the circle of crossed-legged kava drinkers served, and always in order of seniority. One at a time they drain the coconut shell and then echo the same clap and response ritual the chief has displayed. This is the way kava has always been drunk in Fiji. It is important to note that it is considered bad manners not to drain the (often very large) helping of Kava in one gulp. This can be difficult to achieve without gagging – especially if you are not used to the bitter and earthy taste of freshly-prepared kava.

While sitting around the ceremonial Tanoa bowl waiting for the next round of kava, the men often smoke huge cigarettes of local tobacco. These are usually rolled into 20cm long, skinny cigarettes using sheets of newspaper. These massive, filter-less cigarettes must taste fowl with their combination of poor locally grown tobacco rolled in heavily inked and bleached industrial newsprint. Inhaling the toxic smoke produced by burning newspaper must be extremely unhealthy – even when compared to smoking normal cigarettes. But Fijians are a poor people and they’re simply making use of what is locally available.

After two or three rounds of kava, the muddy intoxicant’s effects start to appear. The first thing you notice is your tongue and mouth going numb. After several more rounds you become sluggish, light-headed and sleepy. Being under the influence of kava is a generally pleasant experience – best described as a soothing relaxant with anti-depressant qualities. However, when you attempt to rise from your sitting position to escape the next inevitable round of kava you find your legs have turned to stone and you can’t get to your feet. This is kava – the intoxicant of choice in the South Pacific.

All words and images copyright Jorin Sievers
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