Canoe Plants and Ko
Kō (sugar cane) was introduced to Hawaii when Polynesian settlers brought it in their voyaging canoes. This plant traveled well, planted easily, was an important source of fiber, and a sweet addition to their diet. Hawaiians cultivated about forty varieties of ko, and grew it near their homes and on the embankments of their lo`i (taro ponds). The leaves were used for thatching inside, and for outside if pili grass wasn’t available.
Kō (Saccharum officinarum) is a perennial grass that grows best at low elevations, but can be cultivated up to 3,000 feet. The unbranched stems or stalks are around 2 inches thick with clearly marked internodes, and grow in clumps 10 to 20 feet high. The stems range in color from red to purple, and pale green to green. Inside the stem is a fibrous and pithy material filled with sugar juice in a mature plant. The leaves are more than 1 foot long and more than one inch wide and have sawtooth edges. Ko matures in 22 to 24 months and produces a silvery-lavender colored tassel about one foot long at the end of the cane stem. The stalks were usually harvested before they tasseled, with the goal of retaining the highest sugar content possible.
The juices of ko were used to sweeten desserts haupia (made with coconut) and kulolo (made with taro), also preparations made from ‘ulu (breadfruit), mai‘a (banana), and ‘uala (sweet potato). Ancient Hawaiians used the flower for lei, and the tassels were used in a game similar to darts played during the ancient Hawaiian harvest festival known as Makahiki. Makahiki began with the first appearance of the crescent moon after the appearance of the constellation Makali‘i (Pleiades) rising in the east. Several months were taken for feasts, sporting games, and other events to honor of Lono, the god of agricultural fertility. The tassels were used to line hillsides to create a slippery surface for he‘e hōlua (hōlua sledding), which involved riding down a hill on a specially constructed papa hōlua (wooden sled).
Kō was also used by ancient Hawaiians to sweeten the taste of medicinal concoctions, as well as for its own medicinal properties. It was used in medicinal preparations as a blood purifier, a pain reliever, a purgative, for abdominal problems, skin diseases, headaches, sore throat relief, chest pains, and as a treatment for ‘ea (thrush) and hānō (asthma). As a treatment for lacerations and deep cuts, young kō leaf buds were pounded together with other plants, wrapped in kapa (tapa) barkcloth and leaves of kī, then broiled and placed on the wound. Children were encouraged to chew on the fibrous, peeled cane stalks to strengthen their teeth and gums.
Kauai History and Makahiki
Most exchanges and sharing of food, material goods, services, or labor took place within the ‘ohana and operated more as a system of voluntary giving than of barter. This was the basic social unit of the Hawaiian community. The ‘ohana lived in clustered households (kauhale) close to fields and fishing grounds. Groups living nearer the coast would exchange seafoods, salt, gourds, and coconuts for what grew at higher elevations, such as taro, wauke, bananas, olona, medicinal herbs, timber, and thatching materials. Hawaii’s gentle climate meant ancient Hawaiians lived their lives mostly outdoors, pursuing everyday activities in the midst of warm sunshine and gentle breezes. House structures and other buildings were used primarily for storage or as protection against rough weather.
Beginning in late October or early November when the Pleiades constellation was first observed rising above the horizon at sunset, the Makahiki festival marked the end of the yearly farming cycle and continued for four months. Because of the seasonal weather of rough seas, high winds, and heavy rains, activities such as deep-sea fishing were also kapu. Makahiki was a time to pay tribute, a time to cease labors, a time to feast, and enjoy competitive games. Hawaiians gave ritualized thanks for the abundance of the earth and called upon the gods to provide rain and prosperity in the future. They gathered to celebrate with feasts and games like boxing, wrestling, bowling, foot races, marksmanship, guessing games, pageants, chants, and hula dancing. The hula included many chants and dances composed specifically for Makahiki to invoke rain and fertility. Once all the proper rituals and ceremonies were performed, the kapu was lifted on fishing and farming and a basket of food was set adrift on the sea. Normal life resumed and the farming cycle began again.
