Who made the oldest known kava bowls?

The oldest known kava bowls came from Pacific Island communities long before European ships arrived in Oceania. Archaeologists place early wooden kava bowl use at least 700 to 1,000 years ago across Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa. Most early bowls vanished over time since tropical heat and moisture damage wood quickly. Oral history from Tonga speaks of master wood carvers linked with royal courts during the Tuʻi Tonga period, which began around the 10th century. Those craftsmen used adzes made from shell, basalt, or stone and a single bowl could take weeks to finish. Some old Tongan bowls carried tiny shell inlays and cord lashings near the rim, museums in New Zealand hold several bowls dated from the late 1700s. Captain James Cook recorded kava ceremonies during voyages across the Pacific in the 1770s, where his crew described large wooden bowls placed before chiefs during political meetings. Many historians think skilled village carvers created these bowls rather than one named artist.