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With the wind picking up this morning we decided to stay onboard until mid-afternoon, before heading ashore for an exercise walk and a coffee, following which we took a stroll to Dick's Place in order to participate in the "kava" ceremony that took place this evening. A less formal affair than the traditional "sevusevu", it was nonetheless interesting to hear that the ceremony we participated in is similar to what "native" Fijian undertake at the end of their work day, primarily as a social event, versus the more formal traditional ceremony that occurs when a chief is installed or at a wedding, etc.

During a traditional "sevusevu" everyone wears the traditional "masi", which is cloth made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree and is the material worn on most ceremonial occasions. During the formal ceremony there is complete silence and a special mix of "yaqona", known as" iSevusevu Ni Vanua" is prepared by members of the "vanua", a term us ed to identify people within a geographical area as being related through common ancestory and recognises their affinity with and ownership of the land. Once prepared, the "iSevusevu Ni Vanua" is transferred to a "bilo", a half coconut shell and served by the "tu yaqona", the cupbearer. Both in the formal and less formal ceremonies there is a specific order in which the liquid is served, starting with the guest of honour(s), then the males in order of eldest, then the woman and children, again eldest first.

We also learnt that presenting "kava" when visiting a village on any of the outer islands only needs to occur if you actually go ashore. So, just anchoring off a village for a night or two does not require the presentation. That explains why the villagers of Nalauwaki Bay on Waya Island were not too bothered about our presence while anchored out. It was a relief though to know we hadn't actually offended anyone.

It was also interesting to learn that one of the Tongan kings came to Fiji, laying claim to roughly one third of the Fijian islands and bringing with him the "kava" (aka pepper plant) from Tongan. As a result the "kava" from which the "yaqona" drink is made is the same species in both countries as apposed to Samoa, the Solomon Islands or Papua New Guinea, where the "kava" is much stronger.

Although not a cheap drink, where a bundle of "kava" is the same price as a bottle of whisky, "yaqona" tastes like muddy water and has a mild numbing effect around the lips. Apparently, taking it in too large a quantity intoxicates you, while keeping your mind clear, but it can also render you paralysed until the effects wear off or cause vomiting. Fortunately we don't have to worry about any of these side effects, given that we both only had a single "bilo" each.

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