Canoe Plants and Olona
One of the plants possibly stowed in the voyaging canoes of Polynesian settlers was Olona. It being endemic to the Hawaii Islands makes one wonder if Olona was introduced or already here when they arrived. Either way, this wood shrub was a blessing to their way of life. Early Hawaiians grew Olona for cordage, and it was considered one of the finest grades of fibers anywhere.
Olona (Touchardia latifolia) grew in mesic interior valleys near streams, and gullies of low elevation forests between 250 and 3,000 feet. Similar to many Hawaiian plants that never produced defense mechanisms, the Olona does not have stinging needles even though it is a member of the nettle family. The leaves are large, 10 to 15 inches long and 5 to 10 inches wide, and green on both sides. The flowers are 3 to 5 inches long, less than 1 inch in diameter, and in dense clusters. The fruit is orange and fleshy.
Hawaiians grew it in patches where they could encourage it to grow straight and tall and reduce branching. In a year to eighteen months the plants were 5 to 10 feet tall and mature enough to harvest and strip the bark. The bark of olona slips off easily, revealing the inner bark or bast, which is made up of fine quality fibers that are durable and many times stronger than other fibers.
The outer bark was carefully stripped off with opihi (limpet) shells, soaked, hung to dry, bleached in the sunlight, and then twisted into cordage of varying thicknesses. The whitish cordage was soft, pliable, strong, light weight, did not kink or stretch, and resisted breaking down from exposure to sea water. To prolong its life, it was often treated with kukui oil.
Olona was used for fishing nets and carrying baskets (koko). It provided the backing for royal feather cloaks (ahu`ula), feather helmets (mahiole), and for ti leaf capes (ahu la`i). The cordage was used for tying adz heads to the handles, and fashioning weapons. It was used for stitching, stringing, wrapping, and to tie off the umbilical cord after a birth. Its usefulness made it an important bartering chip in the Hawaiian community, and in a civilization without metal it was a true blessing in their lives.
Hula Kahiko and Hula Auana
Hula is commonly divided into two types – Hula Kahiko and Hula ‘Auana. Hula Kahiko is ancient hula accompanied by chant (not music) and traditional percussion instruments. In the ancient Hawaii, hula was integrated into their lives and beliefs, and was performed in honor of specific gods. In these formal presentations, traditional steps, subject matter, costumes, and rituals were adhered to, but still encompassed a variety of moods – from solemn to sacred to frivolous. Hula kahiko was also often accompanied by drums (pahu) of various sizes and types. Dancers (usually men) adorned themselves with headbands, lei garlands, anklets, and wristlets woven from various leaves and greenery.
Hula ‘Auana is the modern form of the dance that evolved after Western influence. It is often accompanied by song and musical instruments such as the guitar, the ʻukulele, and the double bass. The harmonious island music is paired with fluid, graceful motions inspired by their origins, and Hula ʻauana still tells a story, but the stories may include modern events. The dancers often appear in elaborate, elegant costumes, and the headbands of ancient times, which were made of greenery, are now intricately braided with colorful flowers. Some percussion instruments traditionally associated with Hula Kahiko are also used in the modern form of the dance, including ipu gourds (drums), `Ili’ili (flat stone castanets), Pu’íli (bamboo rattles), and `Uli`uli (gourd rattle).
The hula continues to be a living art form, and while some innovative kumu (teachers) develop new styles, other kumu focus on preserving the old. This leads every hula dancer to learn the saying A`ohe pau ka `ike i ka halau ho`okahi (Not all knowledge is taught in one school). Most importantly, hula is storytelling, and without the story, there is no hula. Photo by Rebecca Breyer at the Merrie Monarch Festival.
Canoe Plants and Olena
‘Olena was one of the plants brought to Hawai’i by early Polynesians in their voyaging canoes. Its common name is Turmeric, and it is a member of the ginger family. The Hawaiians used the bright orange rhizome to make a golden yellow dye to color kapa cloth, and utilized the astringent and antibacterial properties of the plant for medicinal uses.
‘Olena (Curcuma longa) grows in moist forested valleys, up to altitudes of 3,000 feet. After a dormant stage during the winter, new leaves rise up from the rhizome in the spring. The leaves grow directly from the underground root without any stem, and are about 8 inches long by 3 inches wide, with the plant rising to about 2 to 4 feet high. At the end of summer, cylindrical flower cluster rise separately from the leaf stalks, and pale yellow and white flowers blossom. But, it is the rhizome of the ‘Olena which was precious to early Hawaiians.
In ancient Hawai‘i, ‘Olena was mixed with sea water and used in religious ceremonies to purify objects, people, and places, and infuse mana (power). The dark yellow or orange rhizomes were also used as a dye for malo (male loin cloths) that were reserved for ali‘i (chiefs and royalty). And ‘Olena-scented kapa was placed on the hula altar as a symbol of enlightenment.
Medicinally, the roots were pounded and pressed to extract a juice that was helpful in earaches (pepeiao ‘eha), bladder problems, and clearing sinuses. The astringent qualities of ‘Olena are also useful in cases of tuberculosis, bronchitis, colds, and asthma (hano). Its use enhanced the immune system by purifying the blood.
Canoe Plants and Ohiaai
‘Ohi’a ‘ai was a canoe plant brought to Hawai’i by early Polynesian settlers as one of the few fruit trees available to them. Since its introduction to the Hawaiian Islands ‘Ohi’a ‘ai has grown well in low elevation mesic (moist) forest habitats, particularly in windward valleys at elevations under 1,700 feet.
‘Ohi’a ‘ai (Syzgium malaccense) grows between 15 to 40 feet in height. This tree, commonly called Mountain apple, has a gray, smooth, mottled bark. The leaves are opposite, oblong, about 5 to 12 inches long, and glossy green. After 7 to 8 years, the tree begins to flower and bear fruit. The blossoms have a dazzling hot-pink, star-burst display of hairy filaments which all secrete sweet nectars that attract birds and insects.
The waxy apple-like fruit are thin-skinned, delicate, and crimson-red with splotches of pink and white. They hang all along the branches and trunk, rather than at the ends of twigs, like some other fruit. They are 2 to 3 inches long, oval and slightly bell-shaped. Fruits mature in 60 days from the full opening of the flowers and fall quickly once fully ripe. The fruit is crisp, white, sweet, juicy, and refreshing like pears. Inside are 1 (sometimes 2) large round brown seeds.
The inner bark and root was used by early Hawaiians to produce a reddish brown dye for making patterns on tapa bark cloth, while the wood of the tree was used for house posts and rafters. Both the beautiful blossoms and fruit were used to make leis.
For medicinal purposes, the bark was crushed and its juices taken for sore throat, or mouth infections like thrush (‘ea), and the leaves were crushed and ingested for bronchitis. Juice extracted from the bark was also mashed together with sea salt (pa‘akai) and applied to cuts and skin rashes. Other medicinal uses of ‘Ohi‘a ‘ai by the early Hawaiian settlers included treatments for chest pain, abdominal problems, chills, and asthma. Young leaves from saplings (usually tinged with red) and the bark from mature trees are made into a warm drink to cleanse the mother’s body after giving birth.
Canoe Plants and Ohe
Bamboo was one of the most useful and practical plants for early Hawaiians, providing vessels to store water, irrigation channels, tools, and musical instruments. ‘Ohe is one of the plants brought to Hawai`i by early Polynesian settlers in their voyaging canoes. This vigorous and fertile plant flourishes in warm moist forests, and is able to grow so rapidly that after two months of growth it is the size it will remain for its lifetime.
‘Ohe is the hawaiian word referring to all types of bamboo. ‘Ohe Hawai‘i refers specifically to Schizostachyum glaucifolium. Growing in clumps and small groves, ‘Ohe Hawai‘i may reach a height of around 35 to 45 feet tall, with a base diameter of around 2 to 3 inches, hollow walls, and thick hard nodes joining them. It is found in shady valley habitats, often near streams, at elevations from 200 to 900 feet.
People of ancient Hawai`i used ‘ohe in many ways. They used lengths of ‘ohe with closed ends as water carriers. They hollowed out bamboo tubes and blew air through it to ignite embers into fire (this tool was called ‘ohe puhi ahi). They hollowed out tubes to irrigate their crops, allowing water to flow through these irrigation troughs from the stream into the different levels of the taro pond fields. Knives or cutters (pahi) were fashioned for various purposes including cutting the umbilical cord of a newborn. The leaves, which have rough undersides, were used to polish wooden bowls. A torch was made by boring holes in the side of a section of bamboo and using kukui nuts for fuel. It was used in the making of games like darts and spinning tops (hū) and sleds. Bamboo stamps (‘ohe kapala) were used to apply dye onto their kapa in intricate geometric patterns.
Other uses for the bamboo stems were for building, posts, floats, masts, furniture, utensils, agricultural tools, ladders, and fishing poles. Split bamboo can be made into mats, hats, screens, baskets, fans, brushes, roofing tiles. Musical instruments were made, such as nose flutes (‘ohe hano ihu), split-bamboo rattles (pu`ili), and percussion instruments `ohe ka `eke`eke and pahupahu.
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.
