Canoe Plants and Noni
Noni became one of the main healers of the traditional Hawaii medicinal plants as a result of being stowed in the canoes of early Polynesian settlers. It grows well in a dry coastal habitat as well as lowland forests and had many traditional and medicinal uses.
Also known as Indian Mulberry, Noni is a small evergreen shrub or tree that grows 10 to 20 feet high. The leaves are dark green, shiny, short-stemmed, and oval in shape, 8 to 16 inches long and 4 to 10 inches wide. Noni (Morinda citrifolia) has tubular, white flowers less than one inch long with a 5-lobed corolla. The flowers are clustered into rounded heads, which produce warty-looking fruits about 4 inches in diameter. The fruit begins green, turns yellow, and ripens to white, and then falls from the tree. It has a solid, whitish-yellow flesh that is well known for its foul smell as well as its unpleasant taste. The fruit contains oblong, reddish-brown seeds that are attached to small air sacs. These air sacs provide a flotation mechanism that has aided in the plant’s wide dispersal.
Noni was planted by the early Hawaiians for traditional and medicinal uses. The leaves were used as flavoring to wrap fish, meats, and foods during cooking. The fruits were believed to be an appetite and brain stimulant. The wood was used in construction of canoe parts and paddles, axe and adze handles, and digging sticks. A fetid oil obtained from seeds was used as an insect repellent. It was also believed that ghosts were repelled by the odor of the fruit. Noni was also used to create dyes (hili noni) for kapa (tapa). The bark produces a brownish-purplish dye, while a yellow dye can be prepared from the root.
Noni was one of the most significant sources of medicines among the Hawaiian islands. Leaves, fruits, stems, and roots are all used in various medicinal preparations. The fruit of noni was thoroughly pounded and mashed, and then squeezed and strained to extract the sap. The sap of the fruit was also added to various medicinal elixir formulations, including an enema, a scalp insecticide, a poultice for boils, skin problems, deep cuts, and fractures. A drink called ‘aumiki was made with the juice of the noni fruit, and was consumed after drinking ‘awa to counter any negative effects it might produce. The fruit and flowers were consumed as a treatment for bladder and kidney disorders. Noni was also used for chest pain, to sooth aching joints, as a laxative, jaundice, hypertension, urinary ailments, stomach ulcers, and fever.
Hawaii FiveO Theme Song
At the center of rebooting the TV series Hawaii Five-O is the debut of a new orchestration of the iconic, 42-year-old theme song. “It’s the most enduring 59 seconds in TV music history” declares CBS. They are debuting this music video of the modern arrangement featuring recording session footage and clips from the upcoming new series.
After flirting with a major modernization – a synth-heavy remake, bringing in well-known bands, or doing a New Wave version, it was finally decided, “wait a second, we don’t want to mess with this.” Composer Brian Tyler was brought in to conduct 35 musicians for the re-record session. Among the musicians were renowned players from the original 1968 recording – David Duke (1st Horn), Chuck Findley (1st Trumpet) and Bob Zimmitti (Percussion). Feeling respect and awe for the classic theme by the series’ original composer (Morton Stevens) Tyler believed the new recording needed to be “true vintage with a cool vibe.”
CBS says, “It was essential to have the flavor of the original in the modern arrangement. We’re treating the Hawaii Five-O theme as a lead character in the show, and we’ll make use of the song in a variety of ways as we launch the new series,” which will debut September 20th.
Marine Debris Awareness
Marine debris, in addition to being unsightly, can also pose a threat to beachgoers and wildlife. You can help reduce the amount of debris that enters the oceans, and finds its way to beaches by following these guidelines:
- Think about the materials and packaging you are taking to the beach. Choose reusable items and use fewer disposable ones.
- Keep streets, sidewalks, parking lots and storm drains free of trash – they can empty into our oceans and waterways.
- At the beach, park, or playground, dispose of all trash in the proper receptacles or take your trash home with you.
- On a boat, bring all of your trash back to shore for proper disposal in trash cans or recycling bins, including fishing line and other fishing gear.
- Support environmentally responsible marinas.
- Properly stow and secure all trash on your boat.
- Remember that it is illegal to dispose of any plastic materials in all U.S. waters and anywhere at sea.
- Reduce, reuse, recycle.
- Get involved in cleanups in your area and encourage others to help keep the beaches and oceans clean.
- Report illegal dumping to your local U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Office.
Rip Current Safety
The best way to be safe on Kauai beaches is to understand the danger of rip currents, learn to identify them, and then avoid them altogether. However, if you do find yourself in a rip current, here are some tips to help save you.
Don’t fight the current
Rip current speeds are typically 1 to 2 feet per second. However, speeds as high as 8 feet per second have been measured. Since this is faster than an Olympic swimmer can sprint, rip currents can sweep even the strongest swimmer out to sea. Don’t panic, conserve energy, float, breathe, and wave for help.
Swim out of the current, then to shore
A swimmer caught in a rip current should not attempt to swim back to shore directly against the rip. This risks exhaustion and drowning. A rip does not pull a swimmer under water – it carries the swimmer away from the shore in a narrow channel of water. Swim parallel to the shoreline, and when out of the current, swim at an angle towards shore.
If you can’t escape, float or tread water
A swimmer in a strong rip, who is unable to swim away from it, should relax and calmly float or tread water to conserve energy. Eventually the rip will lose strength, and the swimmer can swim at a leisurely pace, in a direction away from the rip but back to shore.
If you need help, call or wave for assistance
Drowning deaths usually occur when people are unable to keep themselves afloat and swim back to shore. This may be due to fear, panic, exhaustion, a lack of swimming skills, or any combination of these factors. Wave your hands for help and wait for assistance.
The United States Lifesaving Association estimates that rip currents account for over 80% of rescues performed by surf beach lifeguards. They have also calculated that the chance a person will drown while attending a beach protected by USLA affiliated lifeguards is 1 in 18 million.
Check our Kauai Surf Report.
Mission Blue – Brian Skerry
Photographer Brian Skerry shoots life both above and below the surface of the ocean, and both the horror and the magic of the ocean. For thirty years he has explored the world’s oceans in an effort to produce images of elusive animals and rarely seen behavior, and he spoke on the Mission Blue voyage to share his conservation photography.
Brian Skerry has spent the past three decades telling the stories of the ocean, using the camera as his tool of communication. His images portray not only the aesthetic wonder of the ocean, but also bring to light the many pressing issues facing our oceans and its inhabitants. He has faced extreme conditions to capture his subjects – lived on the bottom of the sea, spent months aboard fishing boats, and dived beneath the Arctic ice to get his shot.
Sharing amazing, intimate shots of undersea creatures, he shows how powerful images can help make change. Brian’s impressive body of work includes feature stories in National Geographic Magazine, and photos featured in Audubon, Sports Illustrated, National Wildlife, Smithsonian, People, Playboy, BBC Wildlife, Men’s Journal, Esquire, and US News and World Report.
He continues to pursue stories that will increase awareness about the sea. “The oceans are in trouble. There are some serious problems out there that I believe are not clear to many people. My hope is to continually find new ways of creating images and stories that both celebrate the sea yet also highlight environmental problems. Photography can be a powerful instrument for change.”
Hawaii Rainforest Stamp
As part of the 2010 Stamp Program the U.S. Postal Service will feature a new stamp with a Hawaiian rainforest. The Hawaiian rainforest is the twelfth Nature of America issuance in an educational series focusing on the beauty and complexity of major plant and animal communities in the United States. Previous issuances in the Nature of America series were Sonoran Desert, Pacific Coast Rain Forest, Great Plains Prairie, Longleaf Pine Forest, Arctic Tundra, Pacific Coral Reef, Northeast Deciduous Forest, Southern Florida Wetland, Alpine Tundra, Great Lakes Dunes, and Kelp Forest.
Artist John D. Dawson painted the scene and each of the previous ones in the Nature of America series. John is a gifted wildlife artist whose meticulous attention to detail and accuracy is inspired by countless hours of research, field observations, specimen studies, and consultations with scientists. The dramatic terrain of the West fueled many of his creative ideas, but in 1989 he traded the Rocky Mountains for the tropical rain forests of Hawaii, where he lives and works today. His clients include National Geographic, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Postal Service, for which he has created more than 30 stamp designs. The stamp goes on sale in August.
The following text appears on the back of the stamp pane:
Rainfall is abundant in a Hawaiian rain forest, a verdant world dotted with ‘ōhi‘a lehua blossoms and the flowers of the kanawao, ‘ōhā, and other shrubs. Typically, the leaves and branches of mature ‘ōhi‘a lehua trees make up the forest canopy. Saplings, shrubs, and tree ferns dominate the understory, while a great variety of smaller ferns, herbs and mosses carpet the forest floor.
The lush vegetation offers protection and sustenance for wildlife, including several bird species, numerous insects, and the islands’ only native terrestrial mammal — the ‘ōpe‘ape‘a, or Hawaiian hoary bat. Because of Hawaii’s remote location, its rain forest plants and animals were safe from competition and predation by introduced species until relatively recent times; today, they are among the most vulnerable biological communities on Earth.
The stamp pane features a rain forest on the island of Hawaii. In the painting, a tiny happyface spider clings to a leaf in the foreground as honeycreepers and other birds seek nectar, insects, and berries amid the dense foliage.
1. ‘Ōhi‘a lehua (Myrtle Family) Metrosideros polymorph
2. Hawaii ‘Amakihi (Finch Family) Hemignathus virens virens
3. Hawaii ‘Elepaio (Monarch Family) Chasiempis sandwichensis sandwichensis
4. ‘Ōma‘o (Thrush Family) Myadestes obscurus
5. Kanawao (Hydrangea Family) Broussaisia arguta
6. ‘Ōhelo kau lā‘au (Heath Family) Vaccinium calycinum
7. Koele Mountain Damselfly Megalagrion koelense
8. ‘Ākala (Hawaiian Raspberry) Rubus hawaiensis
9. ‘Ōhā (Bellflower Family) Clermontia parviflora
10. ‘Apapane (Finch Family) Himatione sanguinea
11. Hawaiian Mint Phyllostegia vestita
12. ‘Ākepa (Finch Family) Loxops coccineus coccineus
13. ‘Ōpe‘ape‘a (Hawaiian Hoary Bat) Lasiurus cinereus semotus
14. Pulelehua (Kamehameha Butterfly) Vanessa tameamea
15. Kōlea lau nui (Myrsine Family) Myrsine lessertiana
16. ‘Ilihia (African Violet Family) Cyrtandra platyphylla
17. Jewel Orchid Anoectochilus sandvicensis
18. Palapalai (Hay-scented Fern Family) Microlepia strigosa
19. Hāpu‘u pulu (Tree Fern Family) Cibotium glaucum
20. ‘I‘iwi (Finch Family) Vestiaria coccinea
21. Hāhā (Bellflower Family) Cyanea pilosa longipedunculata
22. ‘Ala‘ala wai nui (Black Pepper Family) Peperomia hypoleuca
23. Koa (Pea Family) Acacia koa
24. Happyface Spider Theridion grallator
