The Problem of Kava Drinking

by Henry Enasio

Kava (kao in Rotuman) has been widely used in many of our Rotuman functions. It is a ceremonial drink that graces the protocol of many of our Rotuman ceremonies. When mixed with warm water the drink is very potent.

I recently read an article in the Daily Telegraph about kava. There was a lot of violence amongst the indigenous Australians when alcohol was consumed. Amongst other things, they fought amongst themselves, disturbed the peace, got into trouble with the law, and when they returned home they abused their spouses and children. To help address the issue, it was suggested by some innovative missionaries to introduce the drinking of kava to the Aborigines because it's a cheaper alternative to alcohol and the effect of kava on drinkers when a lot is consumed makes a man want to sleep it off rather than become violent. Several years after the introduction of kava to the Aboriginal communities, a study found that the drink helped address the problem to a certain extent, but also introduced other problems that were not anticipated. The Aborigines who drank a lot of kava were experiencing scaly skin, redness of the eyes, kidney problems, and they were sleepy during the day.

This reminded me of some of the men in my family and close friends with whom I grew up in Rotuma. For besides kao's use as a ceremonial drink it has become a favorite pastime drink that is consumed in large quantities. Some of these guys have died as a result of kidney failure and others of my age, and even younger, have aged a lot with the same scaly skins and redness of the eyes experienced by the Aborigines. It's amusing that these guys worry about their appearances when they go out; I have seen them use a lot of coconut oil to camouflage their scaly skin.  

I was told by reliable sources that a lot of our men back home in Rotuma subscribe to 'oaf se 'iom kao. They drink late into the night and sleep it off during the day. As a consequence very little time is spent working in the gardens. In some cases, these regular and excessive drinkers have totally neglected their gardens; some of them have no garden at all. I couldn't believe it when I heard this.

Furthermore, I was also told that tög te la'a is happening a lot now and becoming a regular thing, which was unheard of in the past. Families are buying a lot of tela'a as evidenced by the brothers at Lopta, who earn between $600 - $800 a fortnight from the sale of their crops. The brothers set a good example for business, as do those who are willing to work the land like Visanti Makrava and Pierre Tomoniko. Well done for these hard working gentlemen, for it shows that one can make a good living working the land. 

The article about Pierre Tomoniko on this website’s newspage on 24 August [2004] made very interesting reading. It provides a good example of the satisfaction a dedicated young man can get from working in his garden. I envied him and it made me yearn for Rotuma.

Besides the above problems, there's the hygiene side of drinking kao. Usually only one ipi is used to serve the kao to all the drinkers. Sometimes the ipi is rinsed in a bowl of water, but often it's not. Since most of us carry germs and viruses, drinking kao is a very good way of spreading the flu and other diseases. Needless to say, since the kao is consumed in liquid form, drinkers need to excrete the excess water. It's gross but true that men need to handle themselves when nature calls and more than likely they do not wash their hands before rejoining the group.    

A classical example of poor hygiene was when my mum passed away in Suva and her body had to be kept at the CWM Hospital morgue until we could fly her back home for burial. Arrangements were made for us to collect her body at 4.00 a.m. so we could beat the traffic to Nausori for the charter that was leaving at 6.00 a.m to Rotuma. When we got to the hospital as arranged, the morgue attendant was nowhere to be found. After searching, this little Indian guy with bloodshot eyes and scaly skin was found drinking kao with the taxi drivers by the side of the hospital. We went into the morgue (which smelled like a butchery and had visible blood stains on the floor), and the attendant had no idea where to find my mum's body. He wasn't wearing any gloves at all but had to open all the fridges and check each body individually. He eventually found my mum’s body in the last fridge in the second row. When we finished our business, I saw the attendant, without washing his hands, light up a cigarette and join his mates to continue drinking the kao. I felt very sorry for those unsuspecting taxi drivers, but it goes to illustrate how unsanitary drinking kao can be.          

This may be an overly dramatic way of illustrating some of the consequences of kao drinking, but if what I portrayed puts some drinkers off kao then I guess it has served a purpose. Hygiene should be taken into consideration in the preparation and drinking of kao should be done in moderation. The competitive nature of who can drink the most and the need to be served the biggest kao ipi should be toned down.

Please understand that kao is not the problem. Rather, it is the excessive drinking of it, with the health and personal effects on the individual, the family, and ultimately the community, that should be taken into consideration.