Is There a Relationship between Ritual and Cliché?: Indigenous Fijian Criticism of Kava Drinking (original) (raw)
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American Anthropologist, 2003
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Yaqona (more commonly known as kava), when coupled with its associated rituals and practices, are commonly recognised as potent symbols of Fijian identity. However, there are some indigenous Fijians (iTaukei) who dispute this link, renouncing a connection between yaqona protocols, ceremony and conventions and their sense of cultural identity, therefore dissociating themselves from these practices. In this paper I draw on evidence from the literature together with observations and interviews to explain why I believe some iTaukei distance themselves from yaqona consumption and the fullness of its cultural expression.