This article examines deep and contemporary history through analysis of the Tongan kava origin story, a kava chant, the rise of the kalapu 'kava club' in the twentieth century and the growing expansion of contemporary kava. It is argued that a key function of past and present kava practices is a ritual liminality of noa 'neutralisation of protective restrictions' that results from mediating mana 'potency, honour' and tapu 'protective restrictions, set apart'. This is supported through ethnohistorical literature, song lyrics and ethnographic data. While the expressions, purpose, material and uses of kava evolve and change throughout time and space, from the titular ceremonies to the social rituals, they are connected through contextually specific mediations that establish noa. The kava origin story indicates a performance of mediations between ancient power relations, while the kava chant describes material culture alongside the establishment of the ritualised chiefly kava ceremony. Kalapu and the expanding contemporary kava practices today maintain connections to past practices while adapting to current circumstances such as global Tongan mobility and cultural diversity.

中文翻译：

---

我们面前的过去：汤加卡瓦的简史

本文通过分析汤加卡瓦人的起源故事，卡瓦圣歌，二十世纪卡拉普“卡瓦俱乐部”的兴起以及当代卡瓦的日益壮大，分析了深厚的当代历史。有人认为，过去和现在的卡瓦做法的主要功能是noa“中和保护性限制”的仪式性限制，这种仪式性是通过调解法力“有力，荣誉”和tapu“保护性限制，分开”而产生的。民族史文献，歌曲歌词和民族志数据都支持这一点。尽管卡瓦语的表达，目的，材料和用途在整个时间和空间中都在发展和变化，从名义仪式到社会仪式，它们通过建立noa的特定于上下文的中介联系在一起。卡瓦起源的故事表明了古代权力关系之间的调解，而卡瓦圣歌则描述了物质文化以及仪式化的卡瓦仪式的建立。卡拉普和当今不断扩大的当代卡瓦习俗在保持当前与过去习俗的联系的同时，也适应了诸如汤加全球流动性和文化多样性等当前情况。