Holding Tightly onto Land and People During a Pandemic: Kava Pedagogies and Tertiary Learning Relationships in Vahaope
Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the livelihoods of Pacific peoples, including partaking of the ancestral elixir of kava and the associated social gatherings and ritual ceremonies. The cultural practice of kava-drinking has adapted over the years and is very diverse, yet it remains a major form of social engagement in the lives of most Pacific communities. These challenging and unprecedented times connected communities have become physically isolated in various ways according to the responses by different nations. We draw from Tongan philosophy in order to explore ‘fonua,’ and its complex meaning that includes ‘land, placenta, customs, people.’ We suggest that in the context of Aotearoa during strict isolation measures, the meaning of fonua as ‘the people’ increased as kava gatherings ceased in their usual fashion, shifting into only those in the home or in cyberspace. The online version of kava is far from ideal, but nonetheless became a crucial form of nurturing fonua (one’s people) during the Covid-19 era. In addition, as access to kava also became limited, the pedagogical methods of kava gatherings and relational values used to learn customary and community-based knowledge became the most practical and adaptable part of kava culture to maintain through online tools. In this paper, we reflect on this shift and the Indigenous lessons it offers for higher education and cultural identity.
Source: Journal of global indigeneity.
DOI: 10.54760/001c.19432
Authors: Edmond Fehoko, ʻInoke Hafoka, Arcia Tecun
Institutions: Auckland University of Technology, University of Auckland
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3164031835