He `uala ka `ai ho`ola koke I ka wi.
The sweet potato is the food that ends famine quickly.
The sweet potato is a plant that matures in a few months.
Apologies for the late issue! I’ve been trying to catch up on my classwork
which I’d put off to do a paper…etc, etc.
Life is tuff. Anyways, on to the
important stuff!
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| Sweet Potato Pie in its natural habitat... |
Organism of the Week! `uala (there’s actually many varieties
in Hawaii, so no latin for this plant)
This plant is thought to be of South American origin,
brought to Hawaii by the early Polynesian settlers and was integrated as an
important staple of their diet. There
used to be a lot more varieties of sweet potato here, but now there are only a
few. The cultivation of `uala was one of
the few farming activities that was shared by men and women.
The plant grows in mounds, ridges, flat ground, from sea
level to 5000 feet elevation. It grows
in areas of poor soil with limited rainfall, but thrives in richer soil. They’re drought resistant and prefer more sun
to less. It can be propogated from stem
cuttings, not from the sweet potato itself.
The leaves can be steamed, boiled, or baked. The potato is a good source of many
nutrients. It can be cooked in a variety
of ways, but in my opinion is best in sweet-potato haupia pie.
`Uala could also be used medicinally…as a tonic during
pregnancy it could induce lactation.
Some varieties of the plant could cure asthma. It also had laxative qualities and could be
made into a gargle to clear a sore throat.
One variety was even used as fish bait.
By Sabrina Robello
Community Events!
Oceania Rising! - March 1 5-7:30pm - Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, Manoa Campus
This event was organised in remembrance of the 59th anniversary of the nuclear test in Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Speakers for social justice and peace will share their peoples' histories and experiences.
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