Hawaii Book – Legend of the Gourd
The magical tale of Legend of the Gourd
Caren Ke’ala Loebel-Fried beautifully depicts the love story between the two ali’i and the miracle that comes to pass after a tragic death. This book is a Ka Palapala Poʻokela Awards winner for Excellence in Children’s Hawaiian Culture and Excellence in Children’s Illustrative/Photographic Books.
Hawaii Surfboard Exhibit
The Bishop Museum in Honolulu is presenting a new exhibit featuring rare surfboards and surfing images. On display will be more than 25 historic surfboards including some owned and used by Hawaiian ali‘i. Also from this amazing resource will be a selection of rare surfing images, some never published before. The exhibit called Surfing: Featuring the Historic Surfboards in Bishop Museum’s Collection runs from June 19 to September 6, 2010.
The Bishop Museum is designated as the State Museum of Natural and Cultural History whose mission is to study, preserve, and tell the stories of the natural and cultural history of Hawai‘i and the Pacific. It has more than 24 million catalogued objects – ranking them fourth in the United States and among the top ten in the world.
As surfing has grown so has the interest in its history. Hawaii’s early Polynesian settlers were among the first people to take to the ocean to master the art of he‘e nalu (wave-sliding), and there are not many surviving surfboards from back then, so these are wonderful historic artifacts. The first plank boards were shaped from trees, and you will see examples of surfboard design and construction over the years – from simple wood planks to modern materials.
Worldwide interest in surfing began when Hawaii Olympian and avid surfer Duke Kahanamoku became its ambassador. A handful of the photos in the exhibit are from Duke’s personal collection. The museum will also feature a modern surf simulator for you to test your surfing prowess.
Canoe Plants and Awa
`Awa is one of the canoe plants brought by the earliest Polynesian voyagers to Hawaii. `Awa (Piper methysticum) is a hardy plant growing 4 to 12 feet tall, and recognized by its large, heart-shaped leaves that grow up to 12 inches wide, with prominent curved veins. The flower is an inconspicuous narrow yellow-green spike. The root is thick, soft wooded, and needs to mature for 2 to 3 years before achieving the desired potency.
‘Awa grows well at low elevations where there is constant moisture and partial sun, and the Polynesian settlers planted it in various, wet, shady valleys at elevations of 150 to 1,500 feet. There are at least 18 known varieties of in the Hawaiian Islands – the most popular strains being the Mahakea, Mo’i, and Nene varieties. Commonly called kava, its active ingredients are called kavalactones, and is primarily consumed to sedate or relax without disrupting mental clarity. Spiritual leaders used `awa ceremonially as an offering of gratitude to the divine, visitors of high rank, and at special events and festivals. In early Hawaii the chiefs and priests were the principal users of `awa, and the ali’i coveted the sacred kava they called Mo’i which had a strong cerebral effect. It was so revered that no one but royalty could ever experience it. Special cups (`apu `awa) were made from coconut shells and reserved for the ceremony of `awa drinking.
Some varieties were preferred for medicinal uses. To prepare, the root was washed clean, chopped into small pieces, and then pounded with water to create a suspension of kavalactones. This pulp was then mixed with water or the juice of niu (coconut) and squeezed to extract the active ingredients from the ‘awa root. It was used principally as a sedative to induce relaxation and sleep. Those who perform strenuous work – farmers, fishermen, hunters, and paddlers – especially appreciated its properties as a relief for stiffness, tenseness, and muscle fatigue. As a medicine, the roots, leaves, stems, and bark were used for general debility, chills, colds, headaches, lung and other respiratory diseases such as asthma, diabetes, congestion of the urinary tract, as well as for rheumatism. The plant was also used during teething, weaning, and to make feverish or restless young children go to sleep.
Kauai History and Clothing
Hawaiian requirements for shelter and clothing were minimal due to their tropical climate. The first Polynesian canoe voyagers brought wauke plants (paper mulberry) with them to continue producing kapa. Kapa was a fabric made by native Hawaiians from the bast fibres of certain species of trees and shrubs like wauke, mamaki, oloa, `akala, or hau plant fibers. It was a time-consuming, labor-intensive process, but Hawaiian kapa (bark cloth) had many useful functions in everyday life in early Hawaii. As kapa in Hawaii evolved, its quality surpassed that of any other region displaying a wide variety of textures, weights, and designs.
The basic garments were a malo (loincloth) for men, a pa`u (skirt) for women and a kihei (rectangular shawl) for both. All were made of kapa. Hawaiians used a number of unique techniques including producing watermarks with patterned beaters, printing designs with bamboo stamps, achieving the colors green and blue with vegetable dyes, and beating perfumed flora into the cloth to impart a fragrance. At least 68 individual types of kapa were produced, each with a specific name. Kapa was used for many things other than clothing, including bedding or sheet material and as banners or as wrapping material. Kapa, the fine and softly-rendered bark cloth of ancient Hawai‘i, was an integral part of every important phase of one’s life – from birth and marriage and death. Kapa enfolded newborns, united two souls beneath a single marriage kapa, and protected the remains of departed loved ones.
Other garments included ti leaf capes which provided protection against cold or rain. Ali`i wore feather capes, cloaks, helmets and lei as signs of rank and status. Made from the feathers of hundreds or thousands of birds attached to a mesh backing, feather garments used striking geometric patterns, most often in yellow and red. Since only a few feathers were taken from each bird caught, which was then released, gathering the feathers for one cape could take decades or even generations.
