Ceremonial Items and Etiquette
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Miller, F. P., Vandome, A. F., & McBrewster, J. (Eds.). (2009). Fijian traditions and ceremonies: Kava, tabua, culture of Fiji, religion in Fiji, Kubuna Confederacy, Viti Levu, Namosi, Fiji, history of Fiji, politics of Fiji, 2006 Fijian coup d'etat, demographics of Fiji, local government in Fiji. USA: Alphascript. (selected pages: kava related) Deaths When a death occurs, related clans and family come together in a religious and social gathering to share their sorrow and to reaffirm the connections between them. The death has the 'Reguregu' lead them up to the burial where all the friends and extended family come to pay their respects. The presentation etiquette utilises Mats, Yaqona and Tabua and varies from province to province. After several days of this the actual burial takes place and Mats and masi are placed over the grave site. The death is commemorated at the burial ceremony and again on the forth and tenth nights thereafter. One hundred days after the death the mourning is lifted and the various Taboos, or in Fijian Tabu, are lifted from the family members in what is called the Yakataraisulu ceremony. The grave site is then cemented in. A further ceremony is held one year later. Each of the gatherings mentioned above include both the mother's and the father's sides being bought together. These ceremonies are not as stringent today as in times past. Each province follows a similar pattern but with specific variations. Ceremonial items and etiquette Items that will be shared generally across the Fiji group in ceremony and social interactions are Yaqona, Tabua, Mats, Masi, the following will discuss this in further details. Yaqona Main article: Kava Yaqona is a cousin of the pepper plant. The root and stem are washed and dried thoroughly, then pounded into a powder to be mixed with water and filtered through a silk cloth. Before the introduction of silk special reeds were used. Yaqona is a central and ancient part of Fijian ceremony. Whereas Yaqona was once only for use by priests (Bete), chiefs and elders, it is now consumed by all. The following outlines a Yaqona ceremony in the Bauan manner (Bau: a prominent island and village of the Kubuna Confederacy in the province of Tailevu). Yaqona is consumed seated on a rectangular Pandanus mat. At one end is a Tanoa (wooden or clay mixing bowl). The front area has Magimagi (coconut fiber rope) and cowry shells attached to the Magimagi. This rope is laid out toward the chief, while next to the chief will be his spokesman and other senior men. Behind the Tanoa will generally be three people: one mixing and two to serve and gather water as needed. Once the Person mixing has all he needs in front of him, he will sit cross-legged and upright, touch the Tanoa and say, "Qai vakarau lose Saka Na Yaqona vaka Turaga" (I will respectfully mix the Yaqona for the Chieftain). After mixing, he takes the coconut shell bowl and fills it with Yaqona. He lifts it high and A traditional Kava Ceremony for a Chief "Yaqona Vaka Turaga" then lets the Yaqona pour back into the Tanoa so the Chiefs herald can see the Yaqona. The herald, on seeing it is too sosoko (strong) will exclaim 'Wai': On hearing this the mixer will add more water and repeat the same action until he hears the herald say 'Wai donu". He then knows the Yaqona is a good mix and is ready to be served. He puts his hands together and circles the Tanoa with his hands, saying, " Qai darama saka tu na Yaqona Vakaturaga" (With respect the chiefs Yaqona is ready to drink). Then he cups his hands, claps three times and begins to serve the Yaqona in a Bilo 5 Fijian traditions and ceremonies (coconut shell cup). This will then be carefully taken to the chief in his personal bilo (all others will drink of the same cup). The chief will receive the bilo of Yaqona by cupping his hands and clapping with a deep, dignified sound. Then he will take his bilo and drink. As he is drinking everyone will clap in slow time, and when he is finished the herald will exclaim "Maca' and all will clap three times. The same will be repeated for the herald, but all will clap only twice when he is finished. For a time this process will be repeated, then once he feels it appropriate the herald will signal to the mixer to open the drinking of the Yaqona to everyone. He touches either side of the Tanoa and says 'Taki vakavo Na Yaqona vaka Turaga" (Now all may drink of the chiefs Yaqona) and will then clap twice. All will then be allowed to drink, following the order of seniority. If someone comes in the middle of drinking he must bring a small offering (sevusevu) of KavaJYaqona as a sign of respect. He will announce himself with a respectful greeting and then the senior members drinking will invite him to join in. He will say a few words of respect when he places his Yaqona on the mat before the others. Then a member of the drinking party, generally the herald, will touch the Yaqona and say a few words ending with "Tarai Saka tu na sevusevu Levu” as an acceptance of the token of respect (Sevusevu) and the drinking session will continue along with the telling of many stories. Once the Tanoa is empty and the herald sees it fit to end the drinking session and not to mix again, he will signal to the mixer, who will then say "Qai maca saka tu na Yaqona Vakaturaga" (respectfully to you all, the chiefly Yaqona is finished). Amongst family and friend gatherings this etiquette is more loosely followed and dialect and social etiquette can vary from place to place. Tabua Main article: ~ Tabua The Tabua is a whale's tooth and is a valued gift in ceremonial presentations[18] , the greater number of teeth presented the greater the gift. It is important for the presenter to always play down the offering, but those receiving will always talk up the offering: if it is small they will say it is great, the point is eloquence and humility. Mats and Masi Mats are generally rectangular and vary in design between provinces. They are made from the Pandanus plant, a saltwater marsh plant also found throughout the Pacific and South East Asia. The leaves are boiled, pounded with a heavy wooden mallet and then dried and rolled into bundles. They are then woven into mats of varying design. The colours are normally an earthy beige and black or brown with dyes used from the mangrove tree, though now some modem materials are used such as coloured yam to make frilled edges. The exchanging of mats has been common practice in all forms of Fijian ceremony from ancient times. Masi is made from the bark of the mulberry tree. The outer layer is separated from the core of the stalk/stem and the dark outer bark is scraped off. The strips of fibre are placed on a wooden anvil like a low stool, or on any flat hard surface, and the fibre is beaten with wooden clubs, beating and folding it repeatedly until it is almost half a metre wide. Pieces are then overlapped and beaten at the joints to form larger pieces. The resulting cloth is dried in the sun. The dyes, generally variations of earthy browns and blacks, are obtained from mangrove sap, terracotta clay and specially prepared soot. Masi can also be smoked over a sugarcane fire to produce the tan-coloured masi kuvui. The designs vary from province to province. The most famous and intricate designs are from the island of Vatulele. The Lau group is also renowned for its crafts and particularly for the art of making fine Masi. The finest white masi considered to originate from Tonga. The Masi can be used as a permanent decorative piece in a house or a temporary decorative piece at various ceremonies. One of the uses of Masi is to wrap the newborn baby collected from hospital, while at the other end of the life cycle it decorates the room where the body lies before burial. It also covers the coffin, and is spread over the 6 Kava Kava Young Piper methvsticum Sclentific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Magnoliids Order: Piperales Family: Piperaceae Genus: Piper Species: P. methysticum Binomial name Piper methysticum G.Forst.. Kava (Piper methysticum) (Piper Latin for "pepper", methysticum Greek for "intoxicating") is an ancient crop of the western Pacific. Other names for kava include awa (Hawai'i), 'ava (Samoa), yaqona ( Fiji), and sakau (Pohnpei). The word kava is used to refer both to the plant and the beverage produced from its roots. Kava is consumed throughout the Pacific Ocean cultures of Polynesia (including Hawaii), Vanuatu, Melanesia and some parts of Micronesia and Australia. Kava is sedating and is primarily consumed to relax without disrupting mental clarity. Its active ingredients are called kavalactones. In some parts of the Western World, kava extract is marketed as herbal medicine against stress, insomnia, and anxiety. A Cochrane Collaboration systematic review of its evidence concluded that it was likely to be more effective than placebo at treating short-term social anxiety.[l] Safety concerns have been raised over liver toxicity largely due to the use of stems and leaves by supplement makers, as opposed to solely the root of the plant as dictated by traditional uses. [2] [3] 10 Preparation and consumption Traditional preparation Kava is consumed in various ways throughout the Pacific Ocean cultures of Polynesia, Vanuatu, Melanesia and some parts of Micronesia and Australia.