Where the Koniak?

[StinkWeed]

Man thank you guys for the knowledgeable responses. I've since granned some root of happiness png and it's definitely right about what I was looking for. I also feel there are good tudei and bad tudei. I've definitely had bad tudei. I NEVER get nausea or dermopathy, ever. Ordering from a certain herbal vendor that I believe no longer is operational, I grabbed something touted as a very strong png kava aaand that was the firat and only time I've thrown up from kava without being extremely dehydrated. This and koniak, at least to me, are certainly not that. I generally like the heady, less heavy kavas, but these certainly have their place .

 

[StinkWeed]

Oh, can I also share a lighthearted story about our Koniak for the benefit of all. I introduced my wife to Koniak, she is a late convert. In the last few years I used to notice that she was drinking more of the Koniak kava than me. It worried me to the point where I sat her down and asked her gently if she was unhappy thus her increased consumption rate of koniak. To my utter surprise she replied along these lines…." oh no, i drink the kava to encourage the onset of kanikani (Fijian for dermopathy), to which I was quite stunned. On further prodding she then said, the dermopathy allows me to shed my skin and with a good skin scrubbing medium, I am able to remove my old skin and allow new skin to shine, "its my natural botox" those were her actual words. She swears by that right up to this very moment. Needless to say that whilst my face showed concern, my heart was very settled and now I even prepare our daily kava basin, much to her delight………there's more to Kava than just a good night's sleep…Kava blessings

That's pretty remarkable. I've read of that being a use certain people have for kava, never actually heard of someone doing it .Thanks for sharing lol

 

[John Sanday]

Thank you @John Sanday for sharing your knowledge of PNG kava.



Can you say where, generally, the farmers live? (This is not a "show me the farm", post) I'm really curious about which cultures in PNG grow kava and how they use it traditionally.

View attachment 8847

Do the farmers trade with fellow wantoks in town, or are there other groups there that buy and sell with farmers? Do people in town (I'm presuming Madang) drink kava?

Uodate: after some more research, some of this kava may be coming through Lae, not Madang.

@Kastom, for the benefit of all, We were the ONLY large kava (Koniak) exporters out of PNG for a very long time in the last 10 years. For us, all our exports are shipped out of Lae whilst all of our production comes out of Madang. Lae is the big international port of PNG is located.

 

[John Sanday]

Man thank you guys for the knowledgeable responses. I've since granned some root of happiness png and it's definitely right about what I was looking for. I also feel there are good tudei and bad tudei. I've definitely had bad tudei. I NEVER get nausea or dermopathy, ever. Ordering from a certain herbal vendor that I believe no longer is operational, I grabbed something touted as a very strong png kava aaand that was the firat and only time I've thrown up from kava without being extremely dehydrated. This and koniak, at least to me, are certainly not that. I generally like the heady, less heavy kavas, but these certainly have their place .

@Kastom, yes ROH has been a good time customer of ours.

 

[John Sanday]

Thank you @John Sanday for sharing your knowledge of PNG kava.



Can you say where, generally, the farmers live? (This is not a "show me the farm", post) I'm really curious about which cultures in PNG grow kava and how they use it traditionally.

View attachment 8847

Do the farmers trade with fellow wantoks in town, or are there other groups there that buy and sell with farmers? Do people in town (I'm presuming Madang) drink kava?

Uodate: after some more research, some of this kava may be coming through Lae, not Madang.

@Kastom, Sorry, I have been out of action these last month and a half. I have been focussing on our kava farm. The answers to your question is:

1. yes, farmers sell the green koniak root in the local markets. There is a small but active local market for koniak.

2. there are 2 or 3 other buyers that buy from farmers, yes.

As I have explained in my earlier posts, Kava is at the central to their traditional culture and customs here. Kava is used for funerals, marriages, peace ceremonies etc etc. It is very similar to how Fijians use Kava in their culture.

For your information, my team have just returned from a fact finding trip to West Papua and can I tell all of you what a wonderful world of Kava culture is present there. To this day they prepare their Wati Root just like how ancient Fijians did 150 years ago. They use the Wati roots for health/lifestyle remedies as well as for powerful rituals. It is also very central to their culture and kastoms. Fascinating indeed, I am going there next month for more insights and to find more locations inland that have a Kava culture.

Given that I was born in Fiji and grew up in the Kava cultiure, having had my own kava farm as a young man then much later went to work in the Offshore banking industry in Vanuatu and got into the Kava scene there and then moved to PNG to work for a merchant bank there but then also started my side business in Kava, I thought I had seen it all. The Kava culture in West Papua is fascinating and takes us right back to the true Kastoms of Kava that were practiced in the days of yore.

I have a few stories to share....

 

[kastom_lif]

Thanks for sharing all this info. You went to West Papua? Wow! If there's a way to conduct peaceful business with West Papua, that is fantastic. I'm so glad that West Papuans might have the opportunity to share their local kava with the world.

New Guinea is a really big, really diverse island. I bet there's a lot of "undiscovered" kava out there.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

I have a few stories to share....

I will look forward to reading them. Everything you write is so interesting and well-written that I enjoy it all.

 

[John Sanday]

taking another trip next month to learn more about West Papuan kava (Wati). It is interesting because just over the Border and in PNG there is a similar kava culture in the Western Province. In West Papua, 3 typical varieties are very evident, a red, a green and a yellow variety. Will be running some tests for KL content and chemotype.

 

[John Sanday]

I will look forward to reading them. Everything you write is so interesting and well-written that I enjoy it all.

Thanks for the kind words, let's thank the Kava for helping us all to enjoy the storytelling and the journey diaries.....as true Kava drinkers, we should all communicate through the kava channel which is free of all prejudices and ego and where respect and listening is paramount. In the Fijian way of "veirogorogoci" (Vay rongo rongo thee) which means "let's listen to each other" or lets find the themes we agree on then let's try and work through those we don't" usually around a Tanoa or a basin of yaqona.

 

[kastom_lif]

taking another trip next month to learn more about West Papuan kava (Wati). It is interesting because just over the Border and in PNG there is a similar kava culture in the Western Province. In West Papua, 3 typical varieties are very evident, a red, a green and a yellow variety. Will be running some tests for KL content and chemotype.

Well you know, kastom graun was there long before the international border was drawn. It's wonderful to see people on both sides are preserving their culture.