Transcript
For one Tongan woman, heavy kava drinking has always been a matter of personal choice.
Ikanamoe Ma'u has consumed kava socially with men and women for almost two decades and she's noticing more young women doing it now too.
"Recently when I went home, I was surprised to see a lot of young females as kava consumers, and they do drink kava. But back in the days where I grew up, none. And even when I started, like in the late 1990s, I hadn't heard of any other. "
Ikanamoe Ma'u, or Moe as she is also known, says she's often been labelled a rebel for breaking with strict cultural traditions but she says she'd rather drink kava than alcohol.
She says she can drink all night and consume many more cups than men in one sitting.
Tongan academic Nalei Taufa says Moe's behaviour isn't common, and research focusing on women as kava consumers or tou'a, the woman serving the kava, is overdue.
She has interviewed a number of Tongan females about their kava consumption and their traditional role, as servers of kava to men.
"Traditionally and historically it was a very privileged and prestigious demonstration of a woman's virtue and titled key ceremonies. Certainly given the commercialisation also just kind of more awareness around kava I do see that there is a trend where women will start to be consumers more frequently."
But Nalei Taufa warns there are risks of consuming too much.
"If you are at a long kava session there is sleep deprivation and there is tiredness and is that healthy that they are already sleep deprived and then driving home with a strong sedative depending on how strong the mix is as well."
A young Tongan Mele Lino says she used to just do the serving, until she joined a female Tongan kava group while visiting America.
"With the toua I think I play a different role where I just sit there and serve but in the circle with the girls I actually get to drink and participate in the conversation."
And kava drinker, Mele Havili, says the trend is good.
She says she'd often drink kava with her late father as a way to communicate.
"I think that has been taken on board in that way but because we've come here to New Zealand and other places, and we see Fijians it is a social thing for women and so some Tongan women have taken it on and done it as a social kind of gathering way but it is not commonly a womenly thing."
Kava researcher Apa Aparosa says the response to Ikanamoe Ma'u's presentation at a recent workshop was positive.
"I think for her to talk about kava from a Tongan woman's perspective is pretty controversial. There is this general rhetoric out there that Tongan women don't drink kava and Moe challenged that. Moe spoke about faikava women's groups in Tonga and it was just pleasing to hear. "
Nalei Taufa says more research into the kava drinking habits of Tongan women is needed.
