![]() The ʻawa-drinking house was like a chief’s house, there must be no gaiety, no talking, no jollity, lest one vomit. Ellis termed it “like thick calcareous water.” (Titcomb) In Hawaiʻi it was a fairly thick liquid, this being preferred to “the dishwater drunk in the south” according to an old saying remembered by Kinney. The liquid is never clear in spite of straining. If dried ʻawa is used, the liquid is greyish, if green ʻawa is used it is greenish. The beverage is not attractive to the eye. This last one is said to be the kānoa ʻawa (or kā ʻawa, large bowl in which ʻawa is mixed and strained,) or place where awa is cleaned and purified, fit to drink.” ![]() Nearby is another hole dug in another rock and much larger and deeper than the four. “They were chiseled with stone implements by the ancients during the stone age of Hawaiʻi nei, a task which no native of the present generation will dare undertake. The holes dug in this large stone are claimed to have been used as awa cups (apu awa) for Kamehameha-ai-luau (a descendant of Kamehameha the Great.)” (Emerson)Īn 1899 article on Molokaʻi Archaeology in the Evening Bulletin notes, “At Pakaikai is found a large stone lying by the bank of the stream, in which are dug four holes each eight inches in diameter and six inches deep. The bits of ʻawa root which were caught in it are shaken out and it is again used as a strainer, this time being formed into a kind of funnel, something like a bird’s nest, through which the awa drink is poured into the separate cups of those who are to partake. It is then taken up from the bowl and the dripping liquor wrung out of it. The stem is split up and the fiber separated from the pulp by being combed between two sticks. The favorite ʻawa strainer of the Hawaiians is made of the stem of the ahu-awa plant. When well pulverized, water is mixed with the mash to bring it to a proper dilution, when it is strained. It is prepared by pulverizing the root in a mortar if it is the dry article of commerce it is kept sufficiently moist to prevent its scattering and forming dust. In later days, chewing was replaced by grinding or pounding. It was then ready to chew (mama) and mix with water to make a cold water infusion. The root was scraped and washed, then reduced to small pieces. The drink is made from the root, which is woody, slightly spongy, toughish and roughly gnarled. It assists in opening communication channels with others and with the elements. ʻAwa is also a sedative, used as a sacred plant for prayer, as well as appreciated for pleasure, especially in the south Pacific islands. It is valued as an intoxicating drink and as a medicine. In the discovery of Hawaiʻi by Hawaii-loa, ʻawa is noted in the find, “One time when they (Hawaii-Loa and his company) had thus been long out on the ocean, Makaliʻi, the principal navigator, said to Hawaii-Loa: ‘Let us steer the vessel in the direction of Iao, the Eastern Star, the discoverer of land … There is land to the eastward, and here is a red star … to guide us … So they steered straight onward and arrived at the easternmost island … They went ashore and found the country fertile and pleasant, filled withʻ awa, coconut trees … and Hawaii-Loa, the chief, called that land after his own name … (Fornander) In places where no water could be found with which to prepare the ʻawa, Kāne even caused water to appear, thus forming many springs and streams in the islands. These two akua Kāne, a Hawaiian god and ancestor of the chiefs and commoners, a god of sunlight, fresh water, verdant growth, and forests and Kanaloa, a god of the ocean, marine life, healing, and a companion of Kāne – planted ʻawa at various localities throughout the islands. Perhaps the most significant narratives describe ʻawa as having been brought to Hawaiʻi from Kahiki (the ancestral homelands) by the akua (gods) Kāne and Kanaloa. There are several native traditions regarding the origin of ʻawa in Hawaiʻi. It is a shrub growing about four to eight feet high. In other parts of the Pacific it is known as Kava or Kava Kava. ʻAwa is a canoe crop, one of the plants brought by the earliest Polynesian voyagers arriving in Hawaiʻi. It was essential on occasions of hospitality and feasting, and as a drink of pleasure for the chiefs.” (Titcomb) Medicinal Kahunas (learned men) had many uses for it. ![]() … Its effect is to relax mind and body and it was used by farmer and fisherman for this purpose. ʻAwa was “a sacred drink of importance in many phases of Hawaiian life. ![]() Outside of water and drinking coconut, no other drink was known. (One offers ʻawa and prayers to the dead so that their spirit may grow strong and be a source of help to the family.) No religious ceremony was complete without the ʻawa.” (Pukui, Maly)įeed with ʻawa so that the spirit may gain strength. “ʻAwa was the food of the gods, just as poi was to the Hawaiians.
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