Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The Samoan word ʻava (pronounced with the glottal stop) is a cognate of the Polynesian word kava associated with the kava cultures in Oceania. Both terms are understood in Samoa. The ʻava ceremony within Samoan culture retains the same ritual pattern with slight variations depending on the parties involved and the occasion.
The term ama is a word in the Polynesian and Micronesian languages to describe the outrigger part of a canoe to provide stability. Today, among the various Polynesian countries, the word ama is often used together with the word vaka (Cook Islands) or waka or va'a (Samoa Islands, Tahiti), cognate words in various Polynesian languages to describe a canoe.
Once the kava is of the right strength, as deduced from its colour, the master of ceremonies will call out the nickname of the first recipient using an archaic formula (kava kuo heka). The touʻa will fill the cup and the cup is then brought, often by a young lady, to the intended chief, and brought back afterwards.
Kava: its ceremonial use, An Account of Samoan History up to 1918 by Teo Tuvale. Samoa Biodiversity Profile - International Treaty, Convention on Biological Diversity; Luisa Castro; Kristie Tsuda, eds. (1993). Samoan Medicinal Plants and Their Usage (PDF) (May 2001 ed.). Agricultural Development in the American Pacific. ISBN 1-931435-27-8
Kava or kava kava (Piper methysticum: Latin 'pepper' and Latinized Greek 'intoxicating') is a plant in the pepper family, native to the Pacific Islands. [1] The name kava is from Tongan and Marquesan, meaning 'bitter.’ [1] Other names for kava include ʻawa (), [2] ʻava (), yaqona or yagona (), [3] sakau (), [4] seka (), [5] and malok or malogu (parts of Vanuatu). [6]
Get breaking news and the latest headlines on business, entertainment, politics, world news, tech, sports, videos and much more from AOL
Still today, Polynesian languages show strong similarity, particularly cognate words in their vocabulary; this includes culturally important words such as tapu, ariki, motu, fenua, kava, and tapa as well as *sawaiki, the mythical homeland for some of the cultures. [2]
The Samoan culture has developed over 3,500 years and largely withstood interaction with European cultures. It was adapted well to the teachings of Christianity . The Samoan language is still in use in daily exchange; however, English is widely used and also the legal official language.