The story of Borongoru
The variety of kava called Borongoru, Capital Kava’s signature single variety kava powder and best seller, has a custom origin story.
As we tell this story please understand that this is one variation of the story out one Nakamal (community house) in Pentecost, Vanuatu and we understand it may be told slightly differently depending on where you are hearing it. We would also like to pay our respects to the Chiefs past, present and emerging and the people of Vanuatu.
The story begins with a woman called Borongoru and her husband called Asu. It was believed that these two were large mythical beings during the time of creation that roamed around the islands of Pentecost, Ambae and Maewo.
For 100 years they would live amongst these islands which they very much loved. They would grow their gardens of fresh fruit in the rich green forests of Pentecost. Fish in the beautiful waters of Maewo where the fresh waterfalls would spill out of the hill side into the sea. And play on the mountain side of the volcano on Ambae.
Borongoru loved everything about these islands. They made her very happy, and every day was a day in paradise. Asu loved seeing Borongoru play, fish, and live on these islands which filled his heart with happiness. For so long these two had everything they needed, and they lived great lives.
One day Borongoru and Asu decided to play on the side of the volcano on Ambae when there was a huge volcanic explosion and the ground trembled. Borongoru was startled by the big bang and shaking ground and she slipped on a rock and fell. Falling backwards she hit her head on another rock. Moments later, Asu found her laying motionless, and bleeding from the head.
Asu rushed her into his canoe and paddled her back to their home on Pentecost, where he laid her down on their bed. Asu immediately searched for medicinal plants in their gardens to see if he could heal her. He searched high and low and tried everything by mixing plants, even other plants that weren’t in their garden. For days this went on. On day five when Asu came back with more medicine for Borongoru, he saw that she was no longer breathing.
Asu was torn apart, and in that moment, he yelled out at the sky with Borongoru in his arms, creating another huge tremble across the islands. Asu held his wife Borongoru in his arms for 2 days crying and sobbing until he finally decided to bury her.
Asu chose to bury her out the front of their home with a view out to the islands of Ambae and Maewo. After Asu buried Borongoru he would wake up each day and walk to the garden to get enough food for himself and go straight home. He did this for days, and those days turned into months. Every night Asu would remember his time with Borongoru and would toss and turn making it impossible to sleep. Until one-night when Borongoru’s spirit came to him.
When she came, she told him not to worry. Asu replied to her and said that he could not do this because everything on these islands reminds him of her and the great times they had together. This would make him very sad and when he wanted to go to sleep the thought that she was no longer there would not leave him, which made him restless. Borongoru’s spirit said to him that she will have to go now, but when she comes back, she will bring something for him to relieve his pain.
The next day he sat out the front of his house and looked out over the view thinking about what happened the night before, when his Borongoru came to him. Then out of the corner of his eye he noticed a plant had started to grow from the place where he had buried his wife. He walked over to the plant and looked at it for a moment, then decided to clean around the plant, pulling weeds and grass that were also sprouting. For days Asu would go to his wife’s grave where this plant was growing and clean around it. Days turned into months, then turned into years. This plant had grown big and had become very prominent in Asu’s front yard.
One afternoon he was sitting back looking over to the view from the front of his house, when he noticed a rat was biting and eating the stump of this plant that had grown from the grave of his wife. He sat there and watched this rat and noticed that the rat started to move a little slower and sway from side to side. The rat then stopped completely and laid down.
He had never seen a rat act like this before and realized that it is doing this because of the stump of this plant. Asu decided to harvest the plant. He ground up the stump and root of this plant and squeezed the juices from it. After capturing a good-sized cup of this juice, he drunk it, knocking it back in one go.
Immediately he felt a relaxing wave come over him and his tenseness faded away. For the first time in a very long time, he felt calm and a little happy. He decided to then have another cup, after which he decided to eat his dinner. After his dinner he laid down and for the first time in years his mind found peace and his body relaxed. At that moment he fell asleep and was able to get a good night of sleep at peace with his thoughts.
It is known that Asu replanted this plant that grew from his wife’s grave and this was the first-time kava was cultivated. Still to this day, kava does not reproduce in the wild, but it is humans that replant this mystical plant. Every kava plant that is used for drinking purposes has come from this variety of kava called Borongoru. Borongoru continues to this day to give peace to everyone who drinks it.
Story 2
The variety of kava called Borongoru, Capital Kava’s signature single variety kava powder and best seller, has a custom origin story.
As we tell this story please understand that this is one variation of the story out one Nakamal (community house) in Pentecost, Vanuatu and we understand it may be told slightly differently depending on where you are hearing it. We would also like to pay our respects to the Chiefs past, present and emerging and the people of Vanuatu.
The story begins with a woman called Borongoru and her husband called Asu. It was believed that these two were large mythical beings during the time of creation that roamed around the islands of Pentecost, Ambae and Maewo.
For 100 years they would live amongst these islands which they very much loved. They would grow their gardens of fresh fruit in the rich green forests of Pentecost. Fish in the beautiful waters of Maewo where the fresh waterfalls would spill out of the hill side into the sea. And play on the mountain side of the volcano on Ambae.
Borongoru loved everything about these islands. They made her very happy, and every day was a day in paradise. Asu loved seeing Borongoru play, fish, and live on these islands which filled his heart with happiness. For so long these two had everything they needed, and they lived great lives.
One day Borongoru and Asu decided to play on the side of the volcano on Ambae when there was a huge volcanic explosion and the ground trembled. Borongoru was startled by the big bang and shaking ground and she slipped on a rock and fell. Falling backwards she hit her head on another rock. Moments later, Asu found her laying motionless, and bleeding from the head.
Asu rushed her into his canoe and paddled her back to their home on Pentecost, where he laid her down on their bed. Asu immediately searched for medicinal plants in their gardens to see if he could heal her. He searched high and low and tried everything by mixing plants, even other plants that weren’t in their garden. For days this went on. On day five when Asu came back with more medicine for Borongoru, he saw that she was no longer breathing.
Asu was torn apart, and in that moment, he yelled out at the sky with Borongoru in his arms, creating another huge tremble across the islands. Asu held his wife Borongoru in his arms for 2 days crying and sobbing until he finally decided to bury her.
Asu chose to bury her out the front of their home with a view out to the islands of Ambae and Maewo. After Asu buried Borongoru he would wake up each day and walk to the garden to get enough food for himself and go straight home. He did this for days, and those days turned into months. Every night Asu would remember his time with Borongoru and would toss and turn making it impossible to sleep. Until one-night when Borongoru’s spirit came to him.
When she came, she told him not to worry. Asu replied to her and said that he could not do this because everything on these islands reminds him of her and the great times they had together. This would make him very sad and when he wanted to go to sleep the thought that she was no longer there would not leave him, which made him restless. Borongoru’s spirit said to him that she will have to go now, but when she comes back, she will bring something for him to relieve his pain.
The next day he sat out the front of his house and looked out over the view thinking about what happened the night before, when his Borongoru came to him. Then out of the corner of his eye he noticed a plant had started to grow from the place where he had buried his wife. He walked over to the plant and looked at it for a moment, then decided to clean around the plant, pulling weeds and grass that were also sprouting. For days Asu would go to his wife’s grave where this plant was growing and clean around it. Days turned into months, then turned into years. This plant had grown big and had become very prominent in Asu’s front yard.
One afternoon he was sitting back looking over to the view from the front of his house, when he noticed a rat was biting and eating the stump of this plant that had grown from the grave of his wife. He sat there and watched this rat and noticed that the rat started to move a little slower and sway from side to side. The rat then stopped completely and laid down.
He had never seen a rat act like this before and realized that it is doing this because of the stump of this plant. Asu decided to harvest the plant. He ground up the stump and root of this plant and squeezed the juices from it. After capturing a good-sized cup of this juice, he drunk it, knocking it back in one go.
Immediately he felt a relaxing wave come over him and his tenseness faded away. For the first time in a very long time, he felt calm and a little happy. He decided to then have another cup, after which he decided to eat his dinner. After his dinner he laid down and for the first time in years his mind found peace and his body relaxed. At that moment he fell asleep and was able to get a good night of sleep at peace with his thoughts.
It is known that Asu replanted this plant that grew from his wife’s grave and this was the first-time kava was cultivated. Still to this day, kava does not reproduce in the wild, but it is humans that replant this mystical plant. Every kava plant that is used for drinking purposes has come from this variety of kava called Borongoru. Borongoru continues to this day to give peace to everyone who drinks it.
Story 3
The variety of kava called Borongoru, Capital Kava’s signature single variety kava powder and best seller, has a custom origin story.
As we tell this story please understand that this is one variation of the story out one Nakamal (community house) in Pentecost, Vanuatu and we understand it may be told slightly differently depending on where you are hearing it. We would also like to pay our respects to the Chiefs past, present and emerging and the people of Vanuatu.
The story begins with a woman called Borongoru and her husband called Asu. It was believed that these two were large mythical beings during the time of creation that roamed around the islands of Pentecost, Ambae and Maewo.
For 100 years they would live amongst these islands which they very much loved. They would grow their gardens of fresh fruit in the rich green forests of Pentecost. Fish in the beautiful waters of Maewo where the fresh waterfalls would spill out of the hill side into the sea. And play on the mountain side of the volcano on Ambae.
Borongoru loved everything about these islands. They made her very happy, and every day was a day in paradise. Asu loved seeing Borongoru play, fish, and live on these islands which filled his heart with happiness. For so long these two had everything they needed, and they lived great lives.
One day Borongoru and Asu decided to play on the side of the volcano on Ambae when there was a huge volcanic explosion and the ground trembled. Borongoru was startled by the big bang and shaking ground and she slipped on a rock and fell. Falling backwards she hit her head on another rock. Moments later, Asu found her laying motionless, and bleeding from the head.
Asu rushed her into his canoe and paddled her back to their home on Pentecost, where he laid her down on their bed. Asu immediately searched for medicinal plants in their gardens to see if he could heal her. He searched high and low and tried everything by mixing plants, even other plants that weren’t in their garden. For days this went on. On day five when Asu came back with more medicine for Borongoru, he saw that she was no longer breathing.
Asu was torn apart, and in that moment, he yelled out at the sky with Borongoru in his arms, creating another huge tremble across the islands. Asu held his wife Borongoru in his arms for 2 days crying and sobbing until he finally decided to bury her.
Asu chose to bury her out the front of their home with a view out to the islands of Ambae and Maewo. After Asu buried Borongoru he would wake up each day and walk to the garden to get enough food for himself and go straight home. He did this for days, and those days turned into months. Every night Asu would remember his time with Borongoru and would toss and turn making it impossible to sleep. Until one-night when Borongoru’s spirit came to him.
When she came, she told him not to worry. Asu replied to her and said that he could not do this because everything on these islands reminds him of her and the great times they had together. This would make him very sad and when he wanted to go to sleep the thought that she was no longer there would not leave him, which made him restless. Borongoru’s spirit said to him that she will have to go now, but when she comes back, she will bring something for him to relieve his pain.
The next day he sat out the front of his house and looked out over the view thinking about what happened the night before, when his Borongoru came to him. Then out of the corner of his eye he noticed a plant had started to grow from the place where he had buried his wife. He walked over to the plant and looked at it for a moment, then decided to clean around the plant, pulling weeds and grass that were also sprouting. For days Asu would go to his wife’s grave where this plant was growing and clean around it. Days turned into months, then turned into years. This plant had grown big and had become very prominent in Asu’s front yard.
One afternoon he was sitting back looking over to the view from the front of his house, when he noticed a rat was biting and eating the stump of this plant that had grown from the grave of his wife. He sat there and watched this rat and noticed that the rat started to move a little slower and sway from side to side. The rat then stopped completely and laid down.
He had never seen a rat act like this before and realized that it is doing this because of the stump of this plant. Asu decided to harvest the plant. He ground up the stump and root of this plant and squeezed the juices from it. After capturing a good-sized cup of this juice, he drunk it, knocking it back in one go.
Immediately he felt a relaxing wave come over him and his tenseness faded away. For the first time in a very long time, he felt calm and a little happy. He decided to then have another cup, after which he decided to eat his dinner. After his dinner he laid down and for the first time in years his mind found peace and his body relaxed. At that moment he fell asleep and was able to get a good night of sleep at peace with his thoughts.
It is known that Asu replanted this plant that grew from his wife’s grave and this was the first-time kava was cultivated. Still to this day, kava does not reproduce in the wild, but it is humans that replant this mystical plant. Every kava plant that is used for drinking purposes has come from this variety of kava called Borongoru. Borongoru continues to this day to give peace to everyone who drinks it.
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The variety of kava called Borongoru, which is variety of Capital Kava’s signature single variety kava powder and best seller, has a custom origin story.
