Are modern kava bowls still handmade?

Many modern kava bowls remain handmade across Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Village craftsmen still carve bowls from hardwood logs using chisels, sanding tools, and hand polish. Tourist demand rose sharply from the 1960s onward, which pushed some workshops toward faster machine shaping. Handmade finishing remains common, mainly for ceremonial bowls and collector pieces, where carvers often leave tiny marks inside the bowl that reveal hand tools rather than factory equipment. Pacific craft markets in Nadi and Suva display rows of fresh bowls beside shell jewellery and woven mats.

A medium-sized handmade tanoa may cost between €150 and €800, based on timber quality and carving detail and custom bowls made for hotels or cultural centres can reach far higher prices. Some workshops burn signatures or village names into the underside of the wood as young carvers still learn methods from parents and grandparents. Cultural festivals across Fiji hold carving competitions with prizes for craftsmanship and design as handmade bowls continue to carry social value far beyond tourism sales, especially during family ceremonies and village gatherings across the Pacific.