"Plastic Coconut"

 

What next:

-With this experiment as a success I want to create a Samoa 'ava ceremony with the ritual item made out of plastic.

Tanoa - Bowl 

The bowl in which the drink is prepared is called a tanoa or laulau. 

Cup - ipu tau 'ava

The cup used for distributing the 'ava is made from the half shell of a ripe coconut and it is cleaned and polished.

Strainer - fau

The material for straining the woody fibre of the dried 'ava root is obtained from the bark of the fau tree (Hibiscus tiliaceus). This bark is stripped off and the outer skin removed. The remaining inner bark is then shredded and forms a type of stringy and fibrous mesh used to mix and strain the beverage in the wooden bowl.

Samoa 'ava ceremony

The ʻaumaga, 'ava makers must follow etiquette and cultural protocol in the making and serving of the 'ava. It is usually an honour to be selected for the ceremony. The ʻaumaga, with prescribed roles in the ceremony, were a select guild in the past.

 

The ʻAva Ceremony is one of the most important customs of the Samoa Islands. It is a solemn ritual in which a ceremonial beverage is shared to mark important occasions in Samoan society. The Samoan word ʻava (pronounced with the glottal stop) is a cognate of the Polynesian word kava associated with the kava cultures in Oceania. Both terms are understood in Samoa.
The 'Ava ceremony within Samoan culture retains the same ritual pattern with slight variations depending on the parties involved and the occasion. It always includes speeches and oratory and the formal drinking of 'ava, including women if they are part of the ceremony, with special attention paid to precedence in drinking order. One of the most important occasions for the 'Ava ceremony is during the bestowal of matai chiefly titles.