The Ava Ceremony of Samoa

Jan 2

2 min read

Ever since taking a cultural anthropology course a few years ago, I've wanted to participate in an ava ceremony. This ceremonial tradition, reserved for important guests being welcomed by a local Samoan chief, culminates in the sharing a drink made from the ava root. On our recent trip to the South Pacific, we were fortunate enough to experience this unique cultural event. The ceremony is also called kava in other Polynesian cultures.

The two parties come together

The ceremony begins with the welcoming and visiting parties each appointing a talking chief (talafale). As the high chief (ali'i) approaches, he presents a long, gnarled ava root and places it before the parties. A village maiden, or princess, sits in front of the ava bowl (tanoa) and historically played a central role in preparing the ava drink. Dressed in traditional attire, including a towering headdress that nearly brushes the top of the Fale (a traditional Samoan home), she embodies cultural elegance.

The two talking chiefs exchange blessings in Samoan, their speeches interspersed with loud yelps that might confuse non-native speakers. Are the yelps expressions of joy or critique? It's hard to tell. Once the blessings satisfy the welcoming chief, the ava drink is offered. One member of the welcoming party, keeping the left arm behind his back, uses his right hand to dip a coconut shell in to the ava bowl. He then serves the drink to the most important guests. This process was recently depicted in Moana 2 to our pleasant surprise.

Above is video of our welcoming party accepting the ava and providing our final blessings.

The drinking of the ava

After the formalities, the village maiden rises to dance, inviting the guests to join her. As part of the tradition, participants throw dollar bills during the dance as an additional form of blessing. My wife Renee and I watched the ceremony from plastic chairs arranged around the Fale. Initially, I worried I might not get to try the ava drink which I'd heard has a calming yet peculiar effect. To my relief, the welcoming party ensured there was enough ava for everyone.

When I finally took a sip, the earthy taste was striking, followed by a numbing sensation under my tongue and around my mouth. The drink had an oddly intoxicating quality despite being non-alcoholic. Intrigued, I decided to have another as not all the guests were willing to taste it.

Experiencing the ava ceremony was deeply enriching. It offered not only a glimpse into Samoan culture, but also a chance to partake in a tradition that bridges community and hospitality in the most authentic way possible. I could not help but reflect on how blessed we all were to have shared this experience.