Fijian mat and two Kava bowls called Tanoas
By Panther
25 Nov, 2008
4 likes
A Tanoa is a wooden bowel in which Kava is mixed and served from, it's made out of a local timber and there are traditional carvers from one of the islands here who are well known for making these. The mat is woven from dried pandanus leaves and decorated with wool on the edging. The small coconut shells on the two Tanoas are the serving cups.
Comments on this photo
Thanks Hywel, Kava is a common traditional drink in the Pacific, it's used in mostly ceremonies. It is a sedative and makes you drowsy when taken in excess.
25 Nov, 2008
better be careful then. lol
25 Nov, 2008
Lol, nothing to worry about, it has a calming effect:-)
25 Nov, 2008
That's ok then :o)
Maybe I could do with some.
25 Nov, 2008
Yes good idea, you should try some, I am sure you will get to like it Hywel!! :-)
25 Nov, 2008
Thanks for sharing part of your culture. I love learning about other cultures and their traditions :) I found this link about Kava, if anybody would like to learn more about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kava
It sounds nice, I would like to try it. Do you grow your own Linda or do you use dried Kava that you purchase?
25 Nov, 2008
Thanks Tasteyg, no I don't grow my own kava, though its big bucks here to those who do, I actually buy it in the powdered form . The grog is poured into a fine cloth and soaked in a medium container of water and the mixture is squeezed out . This is something similar to how you would prepare tea from a tea bag, but in a more larger volume.
The mat Marguerite is woven from dried pandanus leaves. Yes it is used here too for sleeping and for in the homes. The ladies here gather together to weave bigger mats if need to otherwise with the smaller ones like this one pictured it can take one person to complete it in a week or two depending on the amount of time she spends on it.....and I know this should have gone into a blog!:-)
26 Nov, 2008
I like the sound of this, where can i get some,lol
30 Nov, 2008
LOL...mmm I am sure they could be sold up there Funkyfuchsia? Actually I was told that some university students here thought up an idea to have them put in bags like tea bags for an easy quick mix, it would have made it so simpler I think.
30 Nov, 2008
Panther,
Have you ever grown a Kava plant before?
It is a beautiful plant which can spread very easily like banana stems and will grow almost to 15 feet tall. Many Pacific Islanders grow these plants here...I had a plant, however, never harvested it before. I think I may have some pics of the Kava plant...I'll post it as soon as I can find it.
1 Dec, 2008
No Delonix1, but I'd recognize the plant if I saw one.
1 Dec, 2008
That's very interesting Panther.
25 Nov, 2008