Before any visitor can enter a Fijian village they must first be blessed and welcomed by the village Chief and Elders. This occurs at a “sevusevu” (kava ceremony). Kava is a shrub, whose scientific name translates to “intoxicating pepper”. It is actually the root of the plant that is important in many Pacific cultures, and a part of daily life in Fijian villages. The visitor must bring an offering of kava root with him/her to present to the village Chief. The offering is then blessed and made into a drink to be shared during the sevusevu. Once you have been blessed by the Chief and drink your kava, you are then welcome in the village!

Kava root

So, even though we had already been staying in Nataleira for a day, we were technically still not allowed to enter the actual village. Here enters our sevusevu and first taste of kava!

Once we were properly dressed (shoulders and knees covered), and ready with our kava root offering, we walked down the beach to the location of all important civic events within the village. Before entering, we had to announce our presence and desire to enter by shouting “bongi”, which means dark. With this word the visitor is actually giving voice to the darkness, because back before there was electricity, village members couldn’t see approaching visitors. We were then given permission to enter and sat down with the Chief and Elders. The kava root was presented and blessed, with a whole lot of Fijian that we obviously didn’t understand.  Five kava roots were used, to represent the five countries of the visitors.

The ceremonial drink is prepared in a large bowl, called a tanoa (kava bowl). The kava root is ground into a powder and then placed in a small bag which acts as a strainer. Water is poured over the bag as it is massaged and wrung out over the kava bowl. Voila! The kava is now ready to drink!

Massaging of root and addition of water from white bucket.

Finished product.

Maybe you’re wondering if we are sitting in a 3-sided, corrugated tin shack with a palm leaf roof…we are. Maybe you’re wondering if those coconut shells are going to be used as communal drinking cups…they are. Maybe you’re wondering if there is also a very large boom-box from the 80’s…there is.

After the kava was prepared, it was time to drink! During a sevusevu, only one person drinks at a time, with everyone else watching. When offered a coconut shell of kava, the recipient must clap (with cupped hands, no flat cheerleader hands allowed), say “bula” and then drink the entire serving. As someone is drinking, everyone else claps three times. When you are done, you hand the empty coconut shell back and everyone says “maca”, which means empty or done, and then there is more clapping. Sound confusing and awkward? It was…but a wonderful experience nonetheless!

Kava doesn’t contain any alcohol, so people don’t get drunk per say, when drinking it. It does, however, have anesthetic properties. So about a minute after drinking, your tongue and lips start to tingle and go a bit numb. Eventually, enough rounds will make you super relaxed and sleepy. The first round of a sevusevu is always obligatory, in order to be officially welcome in the village, subsequent rounds are voluntary. Maybe you are wondering if it tastes exactly like the mud-water it appears to be…it does!

After everyone had their first round, the men started making some more. One man in particular began to ask me questions. He wanted to know where I was from in the US and whatnot. His curiosity stemmed from the fact that he had just married a girl from Texas a month ago, in this same tin shack. She was working in the village with the Peace Corps, but is now in Maryland. He is currently working on his paperwork to get to the States.

After our little chat, he presented me with a cup of kava and said, “For America.” Ok…it was hard to turn that one down, so I was apparently kicking off the next round! I don’t remember exactly what I said as I worked through the clapping and Fijian words and accepted the drink, but obviously it was a crowd-pleaser!

Several rounds (which everyone accepted, as not to be offensive) and lots of clapping later, it was time for music and dancing. Here entered the boom-box.

First we listened to a few traditional Fijian songs as more rounds of kava went around. Then, the Elders left and the young guys took over as DJs! Think: Maroon 5/Justin Bieber/Miley Cyrus remixed and digitally altered to encompass rapping, techno beats, and steel drums. The “island” versions were actually better than the originals!!

In order to dance, you must be tapped on the back by someone, or told to dance by an Elder. When a song is over, everyone sits back down and waits for the next song…and maybe another tap on the back!!

Group dance dictated by the Elders.

The boy in the red pants asked me to dance like 5 times. He was probably half my age.

I must say…the Fijians love to laugh! Whether they were laughing at us or with us was impossible to tell. Regardless, there was a lot of laughing during our dance-fest, and not just by the Fijians! My first sevusevu was actually really fun! It was an unbelievable experience that I never could have imagined.