Kaikyow and the Use of Ritual Hallucinagens in Lwoid

Kaikyow is a drink made from the Kinyikattai berry used in the ṇushnar ritual, where one travels to the Ngwàwdàrkà, the realm of the gods, in spirit to ask the gods for advice and where the gods bestow tasks onto the drinker of Kaikyow. The drink is said to be first created by Yowattai, the god of magpies and journeys, when the people of Lwoid were suffering from many disasters and required the help of the gods but had no way to call upon them, Yowattai flew down from Ngwàwdàrkà to teach the people how to make Kaikyow so the gods could always be called upon so Lwoid would never fall into such disaster again.

Kaikyow is made from the crushing and distillation of Kinyikattai berry which produces a clear liquid with strong hallucinogenic properties. During ṇushnar the liquid is poured over a fire which causes a cloud of hallucinogenic steam to be inhaled by everyone around the fire, granting them all travel to Ngwàwdàrkà to speak with the gods. Many foreigners do not experience ṇushnar the same way that the people of Lwoid do which is justified by them not having a connection to Ngwàwdàrkà as they are not from Lwoid. However, if a person from Lwoid does not reach Ngwàwdàrkà during ṇushnar they are shunned as that means that the gods have forsaken them, despite this there is also the belief that Ngwàwdàrkà is different to everyone who visits as it is not made for mortal eyes which sometimes creates tension within communities as some will say that a person did or did not reach Ngwàwdàrkà.