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Kava Root
Artist:
Samoa
Medium: Kava
Classification: Materials
Credit Line: Bequest of Carrie Ormsbee
Object number: 1936.67.29
DescriptionKava is a variety of pepper (piper methystiam); nearly all Polynesians drank kava; the drink was prepared by crushing the fresh root by chewing or pounding, adding water, and straining out the solid parts with a bundle of fiber or a kava strainer; the saliva from chewing helped release the alkaloid which was the active principle for making it; cloudy white in color; not intoxicating as thought, but has an astringent effect and numbs the tongue
Not on view
In Collection(s)
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