Aloha Allure

A tanoa fai‘ava (kava bowl) is used in the preparation of a drink made by mixing powdered roots of the kava (‘ava) plant with water. The oldest Samoan tanoa fai‘ava had four legs and a flat rim, features that distinguished them from their Fijian and Tongan counterparts. Eventually the four legs were replaced by many legs, either round or square and usually set close together. In the late 1920s, Samoans considered this style very modern, and they made bowls with many legs for tourists, charging by the leg! Over time these bowls became the standard style, both for local use and for sale to visitors. “Since the tānoa is round and its legs represent the ancestors or noble families of Samoa, it can be seen as a visible symbol of community for Samoans, both those living in the islands and those of us who live in the United States.” —Veronica Leasiolagi Barber The tānoa (TAH-noh-ah) or ‘ava (AH-vah) bowl, is a round wooden bowl that is at the center of the Samoan ‘ava [kav...