In Our Language: Journal of Pacific Research

Na yaqona kei na i tikotiko ni veivakarautaki vakavuli: Na veisataki ni i tuvatuva vakalawa kei na veiqaravi raraba. (Yaqona and the school campus: Regulation versus facilitation)

2023-05-08T16:20:17-07:00

Yaqona (kava) is a culturally significant, non-alcoholic drink consumed nightly by many Fijians. Although yaqona is not consumed by primary or secondary school students, cultural protocols related to yaqona preparation and presentation are often taught in their schools, with students then presenting this indigenous drink to acknowledge visitors to the school, open events and support fundraisers. In the early 2000s, some within the Fiji Ministry of Education began questioning whether yaqona use by teachers was negatively impacting their teaching ability, suggesting it should be banned from the school campus. In this study, Fijian teachers were cognitively tested and interviewed following an evening of yaqona consumption with the results suggesting this indigenous substance can disrupt cognition and in turn negatively impact teaching quality the morning after consumption. Although development theory prescribes prohibition and situational bans in cases where indigenous substances negatively impact productivity, the author argues that prohibiting yaqona in Fijian schools would be short-sighted as the findings show that this traditional substance is critical to the facilitation of school function, identity formation and academic achievement, all elements necessary to development.

Inu kava anga-mahení, ʻatamaí mo ʻene fakakaukaú mo e tuʻunga taau ke fakaʻuli saliote mīsiní. (Traditional kava-drinking, cognition and driver fitness)

2023-05-08T16:12:34-07:00

Kava, or ‘the plant of the gods’, grows widely across tropical Moananuiākea (the Pacific). Used in traditional medicine, its roots are also pounded and strained through water to make a drink with relaxant effects. Kava has deep cultural significance, but because it is drunk in large quantities over several hours, concerns have been raised about its effects on driver safety. Dr ‘Apo’ Aporosa, a Research Fellow at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, has studied the impact of traditional kava use on cognition and its implications for driver fitness. The findings of that research are presented here.

Olsemwanem kastom blong tring kava i save afektem tingting blong man mo wei we man i draev. (Traditional kava-drinking, cognition and driver fitness)

2023-05-08T15:04:27-07:00

Na gunu yaqona ena kena ivalavala vei keda na itaukei, na vakasama vata kei na vakatulewa e sala muria mai; vata kei na ituvaki vinaka ni vakasama nei koya na dau ni vakau motoka. (Traditional kava-drinking, cognition and driver fitness)

2023-05-08T15:12:41-07:00

Taumafaina o le ‘ava Samoa, a’afiaga o le mafaufau, ma le ave taavale. (Traditional kava-drinking, cognition and driver fitness)

2023-05-08T15:24:22-07:00

Yaqona: Sotavi na cala ni nanuma kei na itukutuku buli semati ki na ivakatakilakila matataka na keda ikilai. (De-mythologizing and re-branding of kava as the new ‘world drug’ of choice)

2023-05-08T14:49:58-07:00

What do you call journalism, or more importantly research, that is supported by repetitive misinformation, resulting in an accepted but incorrect, narrative? This is the case with the kava plant, named Piper methysticum or ‘intoxicating pepper’ by a naturalist who accompanied Captain James Cook on his voyage to the Pacific some 250 years ago. That name, which inferred that kava causes intoxication when consumed, is one of several ‘myths’ that have developed around kava over the years, and Dr ‘Apo’ Aporosa from New Zealand’s University of Waikato and Usaia Gaunavou (Snr) from the Universiity of Fiji believe it’s time to re-evaluate this icon of Pacific identity and correct these misunderstandings.

Na yaqona kei na ivakatakilakila vakavanua ena yatu Pasivika. (Kava and ethno-cultural identity in Oceania)

2020-11-23T14:51:08-08:00

Garibaldi and Turner (2004, p. 1, 5) explain the role that particular plants play in facilitating the shared ancestry, practices and social experience of an ethnicity. This can include spiritual connections, cultural expression and practice, ceremony, exchange, linguistic reflection, socialisation, medicinal and/or dietary systems. They term these plants ‘cultural keystone species’ and icons of identity, plants that if removed would cause some disruptions to the cultural practices and identity of an ethnic group. Undoubtedly, kava (Piper methysticum) is the cultural keystone species for many Oceanic and Pacific peoples; a “differentiating element of common culture” (Zagefka, 2016, p. 761) informing their ethno-cultural identity. That influence is also extending to new non-Pacific Island user groups who have embraced elements of kava ethno-cultural identity in what has been termed diasporic identity formation in reverse. This chapter will discuss kava with specific reference to ethnic positionality in Fiji, while recognising the tensions from inside and outside the region that support and threaten the continuance of the kava drinking tradition.

Lotu mavae: Fetogi o te ma'uli fakalotu i 'Uvea mo Futuna Lotu mavae. (Religious identity and change in Wallis and Futuna)

2023-07-03T15:30:12-07:00

In Wallis and Futuna, a territory considered peaceful and politically stable, daily life is organized around two focal points: custom and religion. The former, under the leadership of the 'aliki (chiefs) is adapting, somewhat, to contemporary changes in locale mores. As for the lotu, the Catholic Church still occupies a predominant position but in the past few years it has had to compete with Christian or quasi-Christian movements, which altogether account for some 1 percent of the 15,000 inhabitants. This religious minority, ignored by the media and by officialdom, is nevertheless very much present in Wallisian and Futunan society.

Little information is available on the lotu mavaea both in Wallis and Futuna and abroad, but everyone is now aware of their existence. Five movements stand out: the Evangelical Church, the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Pentecostal Evangelical Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Who are they exactly? What are their exact numbers? How do they conduct their different faith in a micro-society deeply steeped in Catholicism? This paper considers these questions.