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Natural History

The Graveyard Tree

Plumeria is known as the "temple tree" and is sacred in India and Sri Lanka, where it is also known as "frangipani." But, in Hawaii, among the local people, plumeria was considered "the graveyard tree." Because they needed little attention, provided shade for mourners, and showered the graves with sweet-smelling, simple star-like blossoms, plumerias were often planted in the old cemeteries. Old Hawaiians still call it make-man (dead man) flower.

Plumeria is found in warm countries from Indonesia to Polynesia to the Carribean. The botanical name, plumeria, was given to the flower for he French botanist, Charles Plumier, who probably introduced the flower from tropical America. A mistake was made in the spelling, however, so instead of calling the flower "plumiera", people called it "plumeria."

The first plumeria introduced to Hawaii were the common yellow, native to Mexico and Guatemala, which bear white flowers with a yellow center. They were brought to Hawaii by botanist William Hillebrand. They grow from the lowlands to about 3,300 feet.

The plants are very easy to grow. (All you have to do to start a plant is break off an antler-like branch a few feet long, lay it in the shade for a day or two to heal the broken end, then plant the branch in a deep, fertilized hole. More often than not, the branches will take root if they are kept well-watered.)
They grow best in open, sunny locations where they may reach heights of 20 feet. They thrive in arid and moist conditions as long as they don't get waterlogged, and, once established, they are able to withstand neglect and poor soils without problems.

Botanically there are seven species, all from tropical America, with numerous hybrids. Some of these hybrids were developed by the University of Hawaii, but most of the tremendous variation in size, color and perfume in Hawaiian pua melia trees is derived from natural hybridization.

Ironically, it was not until cruise ships and then commercial aviation came to the Islands and tourism swelled that the flowers became popular as a lei. As more and more visitors flocked to the islands, the demand for lei to greet them expanded. Lei makers scrambled for any material they could string. The pua melia, once shunned as lei flowers, were readily available and had a sweet-smelling, long-lasting flower. Not only that, they were among the easiest flowers to string.

Visitors loved the fragrance, which can smell like apricots or roses, like basil or lemon, wood and spice, and the colors, ranging from yellows, reds, pinks and peachy blends of yellows and pinks called "rainbows" Today, the scent of plumeria evoke thoughts of warm island nights and lazy days by the sea.

Plumeria has a toxic, latex-like sap which can cause skin rashes. Botanically, it belongs to the same family that includes plants which give fiber, rubber, jelutong for bubble gum and poison for arrows.

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Arts & Culture

Alaloa - "The Long Road"

Around 1516 Kiha, son of Chief Piilani, completed constructing the Alaloa (Long Road) around Maui's entire coastline which his father began. According to historian Inez Ashdown, what remains of the the road has been variously called "the King's Road," "Piilani's Highway," and "Hoapili's Horse Trail."

It's hard to believe, looking at the harsh, arid landscape of the southern part of Maui now, but in previous times, the native forests on the slopes of Haleakala extended from just below the cinder cones down to sea level. The rainforest trees attracted clouds which fed watercourses and underground springs and there were numerous villages all along the coastline.

The Alaloa had few turns and no bridges, but travelers swam or swung by handmade ropes across streams that cut through the trail. Canoes sometimes ferried people across streams or along the shore. Trained, speedy runners (kukini) carried messages or fresh food for the chiefs along the Alaloa and people heaped their wares (hala mats, feathers, kapa, and various food offerings) in certain spots for the tax-collectors.

When the first explorers sailed along Maui's coast, they saw many villages along the Long Road. Today, the entire area is mostly uninhabited. Much of the Road has disappeared with modern road building, but one of the finest remaining portions is the original highway built by Piilani which begins at La Perouse Bay and extends eastward across a huge expanse of unstable jagged lava known as the Paea flow.

The Paea flow is the last recorded flow from Haleakala. One part of the flow started above Puu Mahoe, the cone that stands above the Ulupalakua road as it winds from Ulupalakua to Hana. The lava meets the sea at the remains of two fishponds at the site of the ancient village of Lae Kinau, which is the name of the cape that is part of the Ahihi-Kinau Reserve. It is said that the goddess Pele was angered when Paea, a man she wanted, rejected her because he was in love with a woman, Kalua, who lived in the village. The signs of Pele's rage remain still.

In the sea at the bottom of the flow, there is a stone called Po'o Kanaka (Man's Head), which Ashdown says resembles the island of Maui on a map. It is there that Pele's flow caught the stubborn man who refused her advances.

Seaward of the Ulupalakua road stands Puu Naio and Puu Kalualapa. Ka naio means "the destruction." Kalua lapa is named for the woman whose lapa, or body, became the ridge forming part of Puu Naio.

The existing remnant of the King's Highway travels from La Perouse Bay, named for the French explorer who was the first recorded European to step ashore on Maui in 1787, to Nu'u, a village whose ruins lie entirely hidden by a heavy growth of koa haole. It traverses an area that is hot, dry and covered with clinkery sharp 'a'a lava.

Along the shore evidence of former habitation - house sites, heiau (temples), canoe sheds - still remain.

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Braddah-Nics Lexicon

STANDARD ENGLISH: Be careful driving home.
BRADDAH-NICS: No rush go drive when you go home now.

* * * * * * * *

STANDARD ENGLISH: All right! You're going to try!
BRADDAH-NICS: Shoots! You goin' chance 'em, den!

* * * * * * * *

STANDARD ENGLISH: It gave me the chills.
BRADDAH-NICS: Eeee-tie! Only gimme da heebie-jeebies!
 

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Local Grinds

Kahaluu Punch

Ingredients:

Place Hawaiian fruit punch in freezer for 15-20 minutes or until slushy.
In a large bowl, mix pineapple sherbet with both bottles of ginger ale. Pour sherbet concoction into a large container and mix with slushed fruit punch. Serve chilled.

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Spotlight On…

Keanae

Keanae village sits at just about midpoint between Paia and Hana, beneath the Koolau Gap in Haleakala Crater.
The peninsula where the village sits, amid taro patches fed by Keanae Stream, was formed by a later eruption of Haleakala which flowed through the Koolau Gap down Keanae Valley. It juts out into the sea, surrounded by black jagged rocks.

Time seems to have stopped here. Ohana, family, is still the most important thing. The lo'i, taro patches, still have to be tended. Kalo, taro roots, are still pounded into poi for the table and for sale outside the valley. Opihi can still be harvested and throw nets are cast by fishermen for the schools of reef fish along the black rocky coast. Hunters still go "up mountain" to get meat for the table, and everybody shares.

There is an old saying that with a poi pounder and a throw-net (and a lot of hard work) a man can provide food for his family. It is still true in Keanae.

Land ownership in both Keanae and neighboring Wailuanui varies significantly from other parts of Hawaii. Numerous royal patent grants (the sale of crown land to individuals and groups or associations) were awarded for sizeable parcels of land during the fifty years after the property re-distribution known as the "Great Mahele." These lands were / are primarily used as pasturage for mules and cattle, as well as farming of crops such as taro, and have played a significant role in sustaining the Hawaiian community in the area.

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