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Overview
This is an ipu (cup) that accompanies a tanoa, a wooden bowl used in the preparation of a beverage made from the the kava plant. The roots are crushed into a powder-like form and mixed in the bowl with water. Kava, or yaqona as it is known in Fiji, can be served informally, although its most important use is in chiefly meetings and ceremonies.
Manufacture and design
Historically, tanoa from Fiji have four legs (like this one), However, they are made in a range of sizes, big enough to serve large formal gatherings or small enough to be portable and popular with tourists. This tanoa also has three large white buli or egg cowrie shells (Ovula ovum) attached to it with a braided cord made from coconut fibre. It is accompnaied by two bilo (coconut shell yaqona cups). The elegant form and lines of tanoa make them a popular gift and souvenir. They are one of the most enduring icons of Fijian hospitality and culture.
Significance
This tanoa is part of a small collection of objects from the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association (RNZRSA) that represent important facets of the associations history and work, including relationships with kin organisations in Fiji and the Cook Islands, and the N.Z. Home Servicemen's Association. A small metal plaque on the bowl records that it was "Presented to the New Zealand Returned Services Associations (Inc) by the Returned Soldiers & Ex Serviceman's Association of Fiji at Wellington, New Zealand, 11th June, 1979'. It was part of the RNZRSA's collection in its Head Office in Wellington before it was donated to Te Papa in 2015.