The Mind of Makaira

Coffee Jitters and Traditional Kava Ceremonies

Posted by on Aug 11, 2008 in The Mind of Makaira | 0 comments

Coffee Jitters and Traditional Kava Ceremonies

Aloha! So, this morning I woke up and had one too many cups of coffee. Oh, how I love my morning coffee! Usually I only have one cup, but occasionally I will have more than one. I admit that this morning I savored a total of three cups of coffee and within half an hour I felt jittery and on edge. It’s been awhile since I got the coffee jitters…maybe I need to switch to decaffeinated coffee in my old age! This reaction in me doesn’t always occur when I pour myself a second or third cup. Often times when I do, I feel fine – invigorated even. Yet today I felt very...

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Coronation of the New King of Tonga

Posted by on Aug 7, 2008 in The Mind of Makaira | 0 comments

Coronation of the New King of Tonga

Aloha! I don’t know if you heard, but the Isle of Tonga crowned a new King late last week. And just how did they celebrate the new King’s coronation but with a kava ceremony! I watched the ceremony on television, which was a big deal down here in the South Pacific. They presented the new King with gifts as he arrived at the kava circle and when the ceremony began, they mixed the kava and followed that with chanting and more gifts, then they passed around the bowls of kava to all the dignitaries present. The entire ceremony took about two hours, and is regarded by many to be the...

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Traditional Kava Ceremonies and Casual Kava Drinkers

Posted by on Jul 29, 2008 in The Mind of Makaira | 0 comments

Traditional Kava Ceremonies and Casual Kava Drinkers

Aloha! After tackling such a difficult topic in my last entry on the toxic part of the kava plant, it was refreshing to read about the opening ceremony of the Festival of Pacific Arts in Samoa last week. These ceremonial rituals include traditional kava ceremonies. In Pacific Magazine, they described how “both men and women, young and old, played their respective roles in the official welcome ceremony for delegates to the Tenth Festival of Pacific Arts in American Samoa. While the men were busy preparing for the ava ceremony (kava ceremony), the women were getting ready to display...

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Tahitian Arts Festival

Posted by on Jul 14, 2008 in The Mind of Makaira | 0 comments

Tahitian Arts Festival

Aloha! So again – AGAIN! (teehee!) – I find an article on kava use by important people like dignitaries and diplomats! I am always truly tickled when I read about the importance and reach of kava throughout the world. It warms my soul as much as a nice cup of our kava does at the end of my work day. Let me fill you in on what I found. The Culture Minister of the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia, Joseph Kaiha, gave a keynote speech at the opening of the 126th Heiva i Tahiti. ‘Heiva i Tahiti’ – held every July – is the most flamboyant in terms of...

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The First Time

Posted by on Jul 7, 2008 in The Mind of Makaira | 0 comments

The First Time

Aloha! My work here on my family’s farm is my first love, therefore my work is never done. I even work on the weekends! Most of my weekends start out with reviewing the farm foreman’s reports on the previous week, then after that’s done, I tend to my own personal garden and read. Aside from my son and the farm, reading is my other love. And now, once again, I stumbled upon an amazing article on Kava in the news while I was reading this weekend. It always makes me so happy to read about others’ experiences with kava. The following is an excerpt from a story I read on...

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Fiji’s Prime Minister Visits Vanuatu

Posted by on Jun 23, 2008 in The Mind of Makaira | 0 comments

Fiji’s Prime Minister Visits Vanuatu

Aloha everyone! I have decided to make a concerted effort to keep up with the personal part of my blog – posting to it weekly, or maybe even twice a week! My family has been very busy here on the Kona Kava Farm, so much so that we just hired a new supervisor and a few extra hands to help with the overflow of work that needs to be done. Hopefully, this will enable me to stay current with updating this blog on a regular basis. Since I have been asked in the “Ask Maikara” section of my blog about Kava Ceremonies and have shared my knowledge regarding the ceremonies there, I...

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