Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 2, 1 February 2006 — Does commercial use of ʻawa dilute its cultural value? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Does commercial use of ʻawa dilute its cultural value?

By Sterling Kini Weng Publicatiūns Editor The relaxing and numbing properties of 'awa (piper methysticum) made it one of the most sacred plants in old Hawai'i. Medicinally, the plant was used to soothe aches and pains, but its primary importance in Hawaiian society was religious. A brew made by mixing chewed roots of the shrub with water was a favorite drink of the gods and

was offered to them in a number of ceremonies. More frequently, Hawaiians presented the beverage to ancestors in small rituals within their homes. They believed that while under the inAuenee of the drink's intoxicating spell, they could coimnunicate with their 'aumākua, or ancestral guardians. But the same qualities that Hawaiians prized in 'awa have in recent times turned the plant into a darling of the heahh food industry. Today, 'awa ean be purchased

as a stress-relief pill, a distilled elixir or even a flavored smoothie. And locally, consuming the drink at 'awa bars has also heeome more trendy. This evolution in the use of 'awa has drawn the attention of some Native Hawaiians who have misgivings about what they see as the coimnercialization of one of their culture's most sacred plants. "I see our cultural values changing," says Attwood Makanani, a longtime Hawaiian activist and taro fanner. "People are adding soda to 'awa to make it sweeter, they're buying 'awa in bars. Now we have money starting to get involved. Where is 'awa going? Is it going in the direction we want it to or is the market choosing its path for us?" Native Hawaiians often find themselves asking that last question when talking about their eulture. Perhaps the best analogy to the 'awa situation is what's going on with kalo, traditionally believed to be an elder sibling of Native Hawaiians. Kalo has been processed into paneake powder, made into sweetened poi snacks and, nio st recently, genetically modified by University of Hawai'i scientists. Conmiercialization, however, isn't the only thing affecting the sanctity of culturally important Hawaiianplants. Many Hawaiians, for example, no longer observe the sometimes rigid protocols and rituals that governed the consumption of poi, such as not mixing it with other foods. "Rituals reminded Hawaiians on a daily basis of the sacredness of a plant, whether it was 'awa or kalo," says Kāwika Winter, who is the director of Kaua'i's Limahuli Garden and Preserve and wrote his master's degree thesis on 'awa. "So when the rituals are stopped being practiced, the sacredness of the plant is forgotten, and it becomes more noa [free]. I think every generation chooses whieh practices it wants to keep and whieh it wants to leave behind. But we can't just let our culture slip away; we have to consciously observe what's going on." Some view 'awa's newfound popularity as an opportunity to

reacquaint Native Hawaiians with a cultural practice that many of their kūpuna abandoned because of the negative connotations placed on it by missionaries. In fact, there was a kingdom law that prohibited the use of 'awa for any purpose other than medicinal. "It's Hawaiians who are the skeptical ones of 'awa," says Zachary Gibson, owner of Kanaka Kava, an 'awa bar in Kailua-Kona. "'Awa was something our grandparents took behind closed doors because they were ridiculed for drinking it. Nowadays, we don't have to be secretive." Sam 'Ohukani'ōhi'a Gon III, a Native Hawaiian biologist and cultural practitioner, says he sees some good in the commercialization of 'awa. "A lot of Hawaiians will start off drinking 'awa superficially and then gain an appreciation for it later," he says. "It's like when you start eating poi with a little milk and sugar as a kid. As you get older, you want to defile it less, and you'll eat it in its unadulterated form." Gon says that he welcomes 'awa bars as a positive, modern way to partake in 'awa. He says that although the beverage is taken out of its ceremonial context in bars, it's still being respected, and he likes the fact that Hawaiian is often spoken while people drink it. Keoni Verity, owner of the Hale Noa 'awa bar in Kapahulu, explains that there are two ways to market 'awa: by buying in or selling out. "When you buy in, you're investing in the culture; when you sell out, you're selling it without the culture," he says. "There's a big difference." Verity says that he doesn't have a problem with the various 'awa products that have recently become popular fare, as long as they don't replace the cultural traditions. "[Borrowing and modifying facets of other cultures] is a natural human element that can't be escaped," he says. "But we have to keep our traditions alive and maintain that sacredness." E

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