Sakau

You can’t describe Pohnpeian culture without explaining sakau, the drug of choice here on the island. It is central to Pohnpeian life. Sakau is a slimy liquid made from the root of the sakau plants that grow up in Pohnpei’s mountains. It makes you feel relaxed and calm (mostly it just makes me sleepy).



Men carrying in a particularly large sakau plant to a feast



Traditionally, Pohnpei is used in official ceremonies. The men are in charge of preparing the sakau in a ceremonial setting. First they pound the sakau roots on the sakau rock. Then they wrap the sakau in wet hibiscus bark and drain it into a coconut shell.



Pounding sakau



The sakau ceremony is used to welcome newcomers, celebrate feasts, recognize marriages and deaths, and settle disputes. This last category is the most interesting. In a culture where community harmony and saving face are so important, the sakau ceremony serves an important role in forgiving wrongs. In a sakau apology ceremony, the “guilty party” brings a cup of sakau to the home of the person they wronged. When the family drinks the sakau, they show that they accept the apology and forgive the person. I’ve witnessed several of these after an extended family member got in a fight with someone…

Sakau is easily the most lucrative crop on Pohnpei, but it is also highly labor-intensive. My host family grows sakau up in the mountains, so several times a week they have to trek up the mountain to weed, plant, and harvest sakau. After several years, when the sakau is full grown, they carry the 50-plus pound plant down the mountain. Then they prepare the sakau and sell it in bottles on the roadside each night. I’ve gotten to help with every step of the process except carrying the sakau down (I usually carry a bag of lemons or another lightweight crop instead) and using the hibiscus bark, which requires skill.

Sakau plants on the mountain

In unrelated news, we have a new kitten! Apparently one of the men threw it in the river to get rid of it, and my little host sister jumped in to save it. So now, despite Pohnpeians’ general dislike of cats, this kitten is melting everyone’s hearts. My nohno even lets it eat up on the cookhouse floor with us. The kids absolutely adore the amazingly patient kitten – everyone wants to take turns holding it. I’m pretty happy to have a cat around – it feels like home!



This kitten is very forgiving of the kids...