Three Fijian legends narrate how the plant began. One legend is about how the root was found growing on top of a Tongan leper's grave. Another talks about kava being introduced into Tonga from the Fijian island Lau, while another explains why kava was previously used only at religious rituals. A Tongan legend tell of how a couple, Feva'anga and his wife, kill their leprous daughter to feed the chief during a time of starvation. Instead, the chief tells Feva'anga to bury the body and bring back the plant to him once it is grown.
Weeks pass and a kava plant grows on top of the daughter's head.
In some versions, sugar cane is found as well, growing from the area where the daughter's vagina lay buried. A mouse is usually observed to be chewing the root. Someone, usually a woman, observes how the rat is put into a coma and how it eventually reawakens. She then tells others of the powers of the plant as an intoxicant. Two especially interesting ideas should be noted here.