2 - The traditional distribution of kava drinking

Summary

Most writers who are interested in comparative aspects of kava include some discussion about its distribution, although there have been no attempts to do this systematically, and to evaluate the sources on which statements have been based. Consequently, mistakes which have crept into the literature, either through carelessness or misinterpretation, tend to be confidently repeated by later writers. This is particularly true of Melanesia.

Melanesia

A search of the literature shows that kava is variously stated to have been used in the following parts of Melanesia: some of the islands in the Admiralty group; New Britain; New Ireland; parts of Madang Province; the Lower Sepik; a number of places in the Huon Gulf area; over a wide area of southern New Guinea, including south-east Irian Jaya and a large part of the Fly (formerly Western) Province of Papua New Guinea; San Cristobal and a number of places in the south-east Solomon Islands; Vanuatu; Fiji. Each of these areas will be discussed in turn.

Admiralty Islands

Kava was drunk on the south-eastern islands of Baluan and Lou (Ambrose, personal communication; Bühler 1935: 23; Mead 1934: 341, 344; Nevermann 1934: 220; Parkinson 1907: 373–4; the latter two writers refer to kava drinking only on Lou). As well, Schwartz (1962: 239) and Bühler state that kava was used on the small island of Pam, which lies between the two other islands and shares a common language with them (Wurm and Hattori 1981: Map 14).