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 Plants
Ethnobotany is the study of the traditional cultural uses of plants. This
section summarizes only a few of the uses for native Hawaiian and Polynesian
introduced plants. Many of these plants are found in the East Maui Watershed.
When Polynesians from the Marquesas arrived at the Hawaiian islands about
1500 years ago, they found an island uninhabited by other people, plenty
of fresh water, forested mountains and healthy populations of fish in
the sea. These abundant resources were essential to survival
on the islands.
The first settlers of the Hawaiian islands were heavily dependent on plants
to provide their daily needs, from food, to food servers, water gourds,
ropes, clothing, housing material, fish nets, canoes, musical instruments
and much, much more.
These settlers also introduced plants and animals
from their native homelands to Hawaii for food. These include kalo (taro)
and 'uala (sweet potato) for planting,
and domesticated pigs, chicken and dogs.
Many of the Polynesian introductions are still with us today. However,
many of our native Hawaiian plants are in danger of becoming extinct. This
may be due to a number of factors, including human development and the
spreading of noxious weeds - plants that spread quickly, and are difficult
to remove once established.
East Maui Watershed Partnership is dedicated to preventing the spread
of noxious weeds through a weed irradication program within our fenced
areas. The fences we build also deter the spread of weeds since they
keep out feral animals that carry seeds in their fur and feet.
nets & ropes
One
of the most important things the Hawaiian forest provided was cordage for
making ropes. Remember, the first settlers did not have glue or nails,
so everything had to be tied together with rope and string. The primary
plant used to make cordage was olona, touchardia latifolia. In
fact, this plant was so important to the people, it is the only endemic
non-food forest plant to be farmed and cultivated by the Hawaiian settlers.
Niu (coconut) husks, the inner bark of Hau trees (Polynesian introduction),
and 'Ahu'awa (a native sedge) were also used to make cordage.
Canoes
In the Hawaiian forest lived the giant koa trees (Acacia koa).
Easily identified by their sickle shaped leaves, koa trees can grow up
to 65 ft
tall and
6 ft
in diameter. The smallest canoes seated one, the largest eight. Canoes
were built to last a lifetime. The expert advise of a kahuna kalai wa'a,
or the head of a sort of canoe builder's "guild", was sought
in the selection and building of a canoe.
Today, the giant koa is threatened by loss of habitat. Koa only grow in
mid to upper elevation forests. With the grazing of so many feral and domesticated
ungulates, cows, deer, goats, many of the island's koa seedlings do not
make it to maturity. Canoes today are made of a few smaller koa trees,
instead of one large one. Will there be a day when we can't make any more
koa canoes?
kapa cloth
The climate on the Hawaiian islands is typically mild, requiring only
a few items of clothing. These are the malo, or loincloth worn by men,
the pa'u, a skirt for women, and the unisex kihei, or shawl. All of these
pieces of clothing were made from barkcloth, or kapa. The methods for making
kapa originated from Polynesian roots.
The Hawaiians typically used two forms of paper mulberry (Broussonetia
papyrifera) to make kapa - wauke, and po'a'aha - both Polynesian introductions.
The native mamaki
(Pipturus species) was
also used, and produced a kapa fit for a king.
Kapa is made by compressing plant material into sheets which are then
dyed, decorated and scented. Both Polynesian introductions and native
Hawaiian plants were used in the making of kapa. There are basically four
parts
to making kapa: processing, decorating, coloring, and scenting.
processing
To make kapa, bark is stripped from branches, soaked for three days, briefly
beaten and then sun dried. When enough material had been collected for
a malo, pa'u, or kihei, all of it is soaked overnight, loosely pounded,
layered with maia leaves and then left alone for a week to mature. When
it is ready, the material is beaten flat with a square beater,
commonly made from endemic hardwoods such as koai'a (Acacia koaia) or kauila
(Alphitonia ponderosa or colubrina oppositifolia).
decorating
Kapa is decorated with intricate lines or stamps carved into tight
geometric patterns. Lines are made with ohe (hawaiian bamboo) or wood stylus.
Stamps
are
applied to kapa in repeated rows or clusters. Inks
are made of kukui nut shells and kukui nut oil. Other ways
of decorating kapa include watermarks and ribbing, which creates a corduroy-like
texture.
coloring
The Hawaiians used many hues in their kapa. Plain kapa is a creamy
white. Finished kapa colors included beiges, yellows, pinks, blues and
greens. Many different plants and plant parts were utilized to create these
dyes. 'Akala, the Hawaiian raspberry, was used to make red hues. 'Uki'uki
and 'olapa berries were used to make blue. There were many sources for
yellow: holei, kukaenene bark, ma'o flowers, noni root, and 'olena rhizomes.
scenting
Kapa is traditionally perfumed by plant material. Sometimes
the fragrance is extracted from the plant and mixed with the dye, other
times, the kapa is stored with fragrant plant parts. Plants used for this
process include 'olapa bark, niu flowers, laua'e leaves, kupaoa, sandalwood,
and more.
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Want more details? Try reading "Plants in Hawaiian Culture" by
Beatrice H. Krauss, or "La'au Hawai'i - Traditional Hawaiian
uses of Plants" by Isabella Aiona Abbott
All photos on this page courtesy of Maui
Nui Botanical Garden
Stripping bark - one process for making cordage
Peeling bark
Twisting strands into cordage
Kapa cloth dyed with the flowers of the yellow Ma'o Hau Hele
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