Kava
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Kava or kava kava is a plant in the pepper family, native to the Pacific Islands. The name kava is from Tongan and Marquesan, meaning 'bitter'. Kava can refer to either the plant or a psychoactive bev
Starr 070515 7054 Piper methysticum
Painting showing women preparing kava by John La Farge (c. 1891)
Kawakawa (Piper excelsum) plant may have been named by early Polynesian voyagers to New Zealand due to its similarities to kava.
Kava root drying in Lovoni village, Ovalau, Fiji (2005)
Nakamal
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A nakamal is a traditional meeting place in Vanuatu. It is used for gatherings, ceremonies and the drinking of kava.
Kava
…a psychoactive beverage made from its root. The beverage is a traditional ceremonial and recreational drink from Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. Nakamals and kava bars exist in many countries. Traditional kava is made by grinding fresh or dried kava root, mixing it with water or coconut milk, and straining…
A small nakamal on Pentecost Island
Malvatu Mauri assembly building nakamal in Port Vila, Vanuatu