Issue 26: Makahiki

Limua ka moku.
The land is moss-covered.
There is peace in the land, and no wars to disturb it.


Special Brief Issue: Makahiki!
How could I have forgotten to update this exciting blog that follows whatever Hawaiian things I want to talk about?  I blame spring break.  All these extra hours I get to sleep in on has just been too relaxing to contemplate writing anything coherent.
Well, I'm going to try since readership has gone up.  But, in honor of spring break, we're going to talk about Makahiki. 

Makahiki is a season all ancient Hawaiians acknowledged in honor of the god Lono.  During this time, all wars went on hiatus and work was suspended.  The people took stock of their resources and recognized that things needed time to renew to give new life for the next year.  This season started in late fall and ran for some four months or so, allowing plenty of time for seedlings to grow, and for the people to relax in their homes without having their guard up.  They could mend things that needed fixing, teach their kids without worrying about a raid, make plans for the future.  Incidentally, things most of us are currently free to do if we chose to. 
I mentioned that Makahiki was in celebration of the god Lono; now, Lono was the Hawaiian god of fertility, agriculture, music, and peace.  I'll be honest, I don't fully understand the story of Lono and Makahiki, but I invite any knowledgeable readers to comment below and share. 
There were also traditional games that are still played to this day at various Hawaiian gatherings.  `Ulu maika (essentially, bowling with a round stone) and javelin throwing are some of the common ones.  There are other traditional games that are no longer played so much - most probably due to the high-contact nature of wrestling, boxing, faux battles - all of which could easily end with participants getting injured.
If you have more information on makahiki, please share!  We're almost certainly past Makahiki season, but it's something to look forward to next year!

By Sabrina Robello

Sourced: Here and here.

Issue 25: Mai`a

Nau ke ku`I, lohi ka lima.

When one grinds the teeth, the hand slows.

Anger makes one slow in working.

Organism of the Week!  Mai`a –  Musa paradisiaca

The banana is a delicious, delicious fruit that is enjoyed by millions in tasty desserts, buttery breads, and just plain.  Hawaiians also enjoyed bananas and had brought bananas to Hawaii as a staple food.  Hawaiian legends say that Pele’s brother brought the banana to Hawaii from Tahiti. 

I’m sure most of us have seen a banana tree.  Except the internet says they’re actually a gigantic herb – part of the grass family.  The stems can be as tall as 20 feet and 8 inches in diameter, made up of their overlapping leaf bases.  These leaves are arranged in a spiral pattern that are tightly rolled and extend and unfurl as they grow outward and upward.  These leaves can be 4 ft long and a foot or two wide. 

Banana trees will die after they produce fruit, but they produce many baby plants so they spread outward.  Fruit vary in shape, size, color, and flavor, but are excellent sources of carbs (if you really need carbs, unlike me). 

Hilariously, women were not allowed to eat bananas (except for two varieties) as they were under kapu until the early 1800s. 

Aside from bein delicious, banana plants had many uses.  The trunks were used as rollers to move canoes from shore to sea.  Banana stalks were added to imus to produce steam in the pit.  The fiber from the leaves were used for thatching, lei strings, tying, braiding into threads and cloth.  The ripe fruit could be used for asthma, boiled rip fruit could be mashed and used to treat constipation.  The nectar sap could be pinched from the flower bud and fed to babies to strengthen them.  Juice from the bud could be used to deal with stomach problems in general.  Pounded peels of ripe bananas could serve as a poultice for wounds – the inside of the peel have antibiotic properties.  Antibiotic bananas for all!

 

By Sabrina Robello
Sourced:  Mostly Here

Community Events
Ecolounge - Thursday - 6pm-9pm at Indigo
Swing by for green business networking and some free pupus!

Issue 24: Loko i`a

Hala no ia la o ka pololi.
A hungry day passes.
An expression of thankfulness that there was food for another day.

Hawaiian Fishponds - loko i`a

Obviously not my photo.

I kept putting this week's issue off because I've got a paper due soon, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to talk about my favorite innovation of the Hawaiian people - fishponds!  Most of my handful of readers know what fishponds are, but for those who don't, they were sections of the reef that were enclosed with lava rock walls so that ocean water and the occassional fish could get in, snack on some algae and whatnot, but could not escape from.  These ponds were not exactly small either - these were massive enclosures that were huge undertakings for the local people.  The largest fishpond in Hawaii was Kuapa Pond, which I recently got to read about in  my law school studies.  See, Kuapa Pond used to encompass Hawaii Kai and Koko Marina, pretty much all the way to the ocean.  Can you imagine all the fish in that space?  Just about 523 acres of fish pond.  I certainly thought it was amazing.
And while fishing in the ocean at certain times was traditionally kapu, taking from the fish ponds was not.  This was because the fish were cultivated specifically to be eaten by the people, especially in times of need.
Also!  My favorite part about the fishponds is that this is a completely unique innovation by ancient Hawaiians!  They were the first to think of such a thing and put it to action!  So very, very clever.
Well, I've got to get back to my paper now, I just wanted to use this opportunity to share my limited knowledge on the subject with you all.  If you have anything to add or corrections to make, please share in the comments!

By Sabrina Robello
Sourced:  Here and here, but also my own personal knowledge.

Issue 23: `Ilio

He lele pa iki - ke aloha kamali`i.
A light touch - so is love among children.
Children imagine themselves in love, but it's only puppy love.  Not so is the love of a mature person.


Organism of the Week!  `Ilio,

Obviously not a poi dog.  Also pretty useless as food, but just wait
until we get hungry enough, useless dog...

What we refer to as a poi dog today used to have a literal reference to `ilio, poi dogs that were bred for food purposes and fed poi to fatten them up.  Dogs were not used to hunt pigs or really as companion pets back in the day....they were bred for delicious, delicious meat.  These dogs were known to be sluggish and slow-witted, so wouldn't make for very good companion animals. 
Some curious things that occurred in poi dogs was that they usually had flatter heads.  Scientist folk suggest that it may be because poi doesn't exactly need chewing - maybe those muscles just didn't develope as much as they would in a normal dog.  In any case, they were so tasty that we ate them to extinction. 

By Sabrina Robello

Sourced: Here, don't judge me. 

Community Events!
Cooking with Greens - March 8, 9:30-11:30am, Lyon Arboretum
Local chef/cookbook writer Joan Namkoong does a demonstration class on how to get the best flavors out of local veggies.  Bring your own plate and utensils to reduce waste and eat tasty food!