Pacific Studies Journal
Abstract
In Oceania, kava, which is made from the root or stump of the kava shrub,
is associated with traditional values such as sacrifice, loyalty, commitment,
and chiefliness; it is especially linked with the importance of nurturing vā
relationships with fonua land and people (Kaʻili 2017: 74–75; Tomlinson 2020:
71, 74–75). Kava has also been demonized and mischaracterized since the early
nineteenth century as a harmful substance detrimental to the spirit and physical
body. The conflicting realities of kava as virtue and vice are expressly displayed in
the relationship between kava and the Christian church. Specifically, this paper
examines the dynamics between kava and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints—known colloquially as Mormons, LDS Church, or, in this paper, the
Church—and the ways in which kava has been represented by the Church.
Recommended Citation
Funaki, Sione M. U. H.
(2024)
"HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY REPRESENTATION OF KAVA BY MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS,"
Pacific Studies Journal: Vol. 47:
No.
1, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol47/iss1/1
Included in
Anthropology Commons, Community-Based Research Commons, Food Studies Commons, History Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, Pacific Islands Languages and Societies Commons