KAVA KASTOM AND KAVA VANUATU

Kava Kastom in Vanuatu…

Kastom is the Bislama word used to refer to traditional culture, including religion, economics, art and of course kava drinking. The word is derived from the Australian English pronunciation of custom. Kastom is largely passed on by word of mouth with Kastom Stories such as myths and legends, via Kastom House which are sites where objects and rituals are stored, and via Kastom Tabu which are objects of special significance and symbolism.

The name Vanuatu means “land eternal” and the people of Vanuatu, known as Ni-Vanuatu are largely of Melanesian origin. Vanuatu is recognised as one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world owing to its Y-shaped archipelago consisting of 65 different inhabited islands. Everything from dances, kava drinking ceremonies, status and systems of authority, artistic styles, animal husbandry, and crop husbandry can vary from island to island. As you might guess, the idiosyncratic customs of each island is known as Island Kastom.

There are also many unique and varied species of Kava which accompany the various Island Kastoms, with much of the world’s kava supply coming from some of Vanuatu’s largest islands which include Ambrym, Gaua, Espiritu Santo, Malo, Pentecost, Malakula, Epi, Erromango, Ambae, Aneityum, Vanua Lava, Tanna, Efate and Maewo. Vanuatu is home to the greatest number of kava plant species and most diverse range of kava root drink types of any country in the world, especially compared to Hawaii or Fiji, which is why Vanuatu is widely considered to be the geographical origin of Kava. Vanuatu is also home to the greatest variety of Noble kavas or “drinking kava” varieties. Many of the islands have their own slightly unique way of preparing kava root drinks and undertaking kava drinking ceremonies. Vanuatu boasts 113 distinct languages and innumerable dialects. Out of the three official languages, Bislama is the most spoken in Vanuatu, followed by English, and lastly French. There are similarly many names used for the many species of kava plants used to prepare kava beverages.

The kava root drink is a fundamental part of Vanuatu kastom rituals and consuming the right type of kava in the right place at the right time is said to ensure an almost spiritual experience. In fact, back in earlier centuries, kava root powder was regarded to be so powerful that it was prohibited by Christian missionaries for almost 100 years on the many islands in Vanuatu in an attempt to eliminate competition with other gods.

Kava…

The kava plant (Piper methysticum Forst.) is a robust, succulent, well-branching perennial shrub belonging to the Black pepper family Piperaceae. The generic name Piper comes from the Latin for “pepper”, and the species name methysticum from the Greek meaning “intoxicant”, thus Piper methysticum when translated into English means “Intoxicating pepper”. The kava leaves are heart shaped, pointed, smooth and green on both sides and are about 15 cm in length. The plant is usually about 2 to 2.5m tall when it is harvested after 3 to 5 years of growth.

Kava farmers have been growing and harvesting kava plants for numerous ceremonial and medicinal resolutions ever since the so-called “Lapita” people first arrived in Vanuatu roughly 3,500 years ago. Importantly, despite kava being a dioecious species, only male kava plants are known, and no fruits or seeds have been reported. The kava plant is cultivated through vegetative propagation. This coupled with the cultural, topographical, and climatic diversity across the islands of Vanuatu has engendered more kava root drink varieties than any other country on earth.

Kava Varieties…

According to the SPC report (2001), there have been about 115 varieties, otherwise known as cultivars, of Piper methysticum identified. Out of the 115 cultivars, it has been recorded that there are about 80 in Vanuatu, 12 in Fiji, 11 in Hawaii, 7 in Tonga and 5 in Samoa. The Kava Act No. 7 (2002) was passed by the Vanuatu Government which categorises and identifies the various cultivars into four categories, as listed below:

1. “Noble” kava varieties – “drinking kava” varieties regularly used as a traditional social kava drinks.

2. “Medicinal” kava varieties – have beneficial properties amongst traditional herbalists who prepare kava root drinks.

3. “Tu Dei” kava varieties – not permitted as an export commodity.

4. “Wichmannii” varieties – not permitted as an export commodity.

Kava Drinking at a Nakamal in Vanuatu…

A nakamal (a picture of one is located on the Kava Vanuatu Contact page) is a traditional Ni-Vanuatu meeting place, where people living on the islands meet to enjoy a kava drink, as well as resolve tribal disputes, dance, and trade goods. A nakamal is generally surrounded by banyan trees in a forest clearing on most islands. In the more urban areas of Vanuatu, such as the capital Port Vila, the term nakamal has come to mean Kava Bar were people go to enjoy a kava beverage, usually at the end of the day. Kava has a distinctively bitter tase, which makes it a memorable experience if it is your first time trying it!

Despite the bitter taste of the kava root drink, it is largely consumed for its sedative, muscle relaxing, and euphoric properties. If you’re in Australia or anywhere else in the world and can’t try a fresh kava drink from one of the islands of Vanuatu, Kava Vanuatu kava root powder is the next best thing!

Traditional Kava Uses in Vanuatu…

Kava is known for providing a sense of relaxation and tranquillity and has been traditionally consumed for these reasons. In addition, some of the health benefits traditional herbalists have purported the consumption of kava to have include:

• Helping to reduce urinary pain
• 
  
• Providing relief from constipation
• Aiding to settle general gastro-intestinal upsets
• Helping to diminish pain related to headaches and toothaches
• Improving muscle relaxation
• Helping to provide relief from insomnia

The recognised study of Kava by the Europeans started with the first voyages of exploration and discovery undertaken in the 17th & 18th Century. The Natural History Museum in London, England has a botanical drawing of kava which dates to 1769. Since the first published research paper on Kava (Piper methysticum) there has been over 100,000 research publications. Since 1990, more specific research has been conducted into the identification and classification of the pharmacologically active compounds within the Kava plant known as “Kavalactones”.

Given anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders today, it is no surprise that there is growing demand for safe, natural remedies. Moreover, with a lack of sleep being associated with many medical issues, people are continuing to seek natural medications to help them sleep better.

Growing Kava Culture…

With kava’s long history of consumption as a healthy and enjoyable beverage within the South Pacific Islands, kava drinking is now being enjoyed around the world. For example, there are now literally hundreds of Kava bars situated across America where kava root drinks are being enjoyed by people from all cultural backgrounds. More recently, Kava is being increasingly embraced as a part of Australian culture. Australians can now enjoy the benefits of the finest Vanuatu noble kava through Kava Vanuatu’s 100% organic Instant Kava Root Powder – contained in very convenient sachets.

How To Prepare Your Instant Kava Root Drink…

We ensure that our instant kava root powder that we offer here at Kava Vanuatu is of an exceptionally high quality and proves to highlight convenience and cleanliness, which is shown through our individually wrapped portion sizes. Instant kava is very easy to prepare whether you are at home or on the go.

Simply empty your Kava Vanuatu instant use sachet into your desired glass and pour in 200 mL of room temperature water and then stir vigorously until dissolved. Generally, the more a person weighs the more kava powder a person will require to realise an equivalent effect.

Are You Ready to Reap the Benefits of Kava Powder?

So, why choose Kava Vanuatu Kava powder? In two words – uncompromising quality!

Kava Vanuatu’s history goes back to 1995, when a group of like-minded individuals from various kava growing regions and islands formulated a plan to establish an organisation that would enable our kava growers to improve their standard of living and social welfare via the sale of their kava – knowing the quality of our kava directly effects the quality of our standard of living.

Our company does not use any intermediate wholesalers and we have perfect product traceability. Every person in our organisation understands the importance of our reputation for manufacturing the highest quality kava powder – something we are very proud to stand by. We utilise highly advanced technological processing equipment and simply do not ever compromise on the quality of any input used in our manufacturing process.

As leading manufacturers of 100% pure organic noble kava root powder, our dedicated team work tirelessly to ensure our customers receive a consistently superior kava powder product. If you would like to try one of our kava powders, rest assured you will be receiving the highest quality Vanuatu kava powder available.