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Kukui
(Aleurites moluccana)

Of all of the plants the Hawaiians revered, the kukui was one of the most useful. Experts say the kukui originated in Asia and traveled to the Spice Islands of Indonesia and then to the Marquesas and Society Islands. Wherever the Polynesian voyagers went, they carried the plants with them.

In the dark green mountain forests throughout Hawaii, the pale green kukui shimmers in the gullies and hug hillsides on every island. The trees can attain 100 feet in height. Its maple-like, pale green leaves have three to seven points and contrast greatly with the darker foliage of other forest trees. The young foliage is particularly silvery because of a hairy, powdery coating.

Isabella Bird, an enthusiastic world traveler who was in and around Hawaii in the 19th century described the sight beautifully, "It presents a mass of foliage quite unique, giving the gulch the appearance as if billows of green had rolled in and solidified there."

A kukui tree growing near the house provided shade, fuel, food and medicine, as well as beautiful leaves and flowers for a lei. The leaves were used for taro mulch and the trees themselves attracted birds.

Once the trees were introduced, kukui became more and more prevalent in the forests as the years passed. Pigs especially loved the raw nuts and were instrumental in spreading the plants far beyond village boundaries. Now the trees look so much at home in the island landscape that it is often mistaken for a native plant. There is even a popular folktale that the Menehune, the legendary little people who were here before the Hawaiians, used the nuts as a spinning top.

The nuts were especially useful for lighting, which is why it is also called the "candlenut tree." Fishermen lit their way with kukui nut torches in the pre-dawn darkness. Oily kukui nuts were strung on a bamboo sliver and burned to provide light as well.

Oil was expressed from the nuts by pounding large quantities in stone mortars. The royalty also had stone oil lamps called poho kukui that were small stones with a hollowed-out depression in its upper surface. A small amount of kukui nut oil was poured into the stone and a strip of twisted kapa cloth served as the wick. This lamp was not a copy of Western design. It had been developed independently by the Polynesians.
Meanwhile, fishermen and sailors chewed a kukui nut and spit the oil on choppy water to calm it and provide a clearer underwater view.

The nuts are still used to make a relish called 'inamona that is enjoyed by Hawaiians as an appetizer. In the old days, 'inamona was blended from pounded roasted kukui nuts, sea salt and dried squid ink bags. Today, the chili peppers are used instead of the ink bags, for a spicier variation.

Surfboards were rubbed with kukui nut oil to preserve them from the salt water. The oil, which is similar to linseed oil, penetrates deeply and dries quickly. It is particularly effective on wood.

In the mid-1800's, a few Oa'hu settlers established small businesses extracting kukui oil. Nuts were gathered by hand, and despite crude manufacturing methods, annual exports between 1840 and 1850 totaled around 10,000 gallons. A single acre of kukui trees yielded an estimated five tons of nuts and 237 gallons of oil. All of this oil was sold to Russian traders for paints and varnishes in their American Northwest settlements. The collection of the nuts was so labor-intensive that the business ultimately became unprofitable.

Tannins in the bark of the kukui made it useful for dyeing. The ancient people's fishing nets, tanned with infusions of kukui bark, lasted for years. During the 19th century, bark infusions were used for tanning hides. The red-brown stain produced a durable leather of high grade.

Canoes were stained with a dye made by mixing soot from the burned nuts with the oil. Polynesians used the same dye to tattoo their bodies with tools made of fish or albatross bones, a custom enthusiastically copied by European sailors. Fine soot, scraped from smooth beach stones under a fire of the nuts was mixed with oil or coconut water and applied to skin that had been pricked with fine bone needles mounted on a wooden handle.

Besides this, the plant had a number of medicinal uses. Sap from the young twigs treated a variety of blisters, sores, and rashes and was especially effective with young children. The root and leaves of the tree were used as well. Lorenzo Lyons, a missionary in the mid-1800's, noted that "bits of kukui bark were a popular adjunct to one's liquor. (Apparently the strong tannin in the bark produced a high similar to a coffee jag.) Paniolos still say eating the blossoming clusters of kukui flowers off the tree help to mitigate even the worse of hangovers.

In poetry and song, the thought of kukui groves help recall happy times, beloved places, and lost loved ones. One old chant elucidates the belief that if you see kukui blossoms floating down a mountain stream, it is a sign that there is a strong windstorm coming. It says,

"The kukui blossoms foretells the wind:
Seen by the people, they call for help from the wind,
And warn the canoes to flee for safety."

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Petroglyphs

Hawaiian petroglyphs, pictographs that are etched or carved into the rocks at various sites throughout the Hawaiian islands, are enigmas that have puzzled various experts who study the culture. Why the rock art was made and what the pictographs mean have been the subjects of much speculation.

Most experts agree that the petroglyphs probably served one of three purposes. Many were created to record trips and communicate about other events on trails and at boundaries. Those that are associated with sacred ceremonial and kapu sites are assumed to have magic or religious functions and may have been carved to insure long life and personal well-being. Other petroglyphs commemorate historical or mythical events and creatures and heroes of legend.

Petroglyphs have been found on all of the major islands, but often many of them are either on private land or not for public view. During exploratory visits to Maui in previous times, archaeologists found the most extensive collections of petroglyphs at Maalaea and at Nu'u. The Maalaea petroglyphs were lost when an early developer of the area carelessly destroyed the historical site.

In 1922, the preeminent cultural researcher Kenneth P. Emory, was shown what appeared to be 31 imprints of small feet - indentations in the old lava which the scientist was told were the footprints of Menehune who built a heiau in Kaupo. The site was in an inaccessible place in Kahikinui called the Lualailua Hills. (Emory and other archaeologists after him called the imprints "petroglyphs," assuming that the footprints must have been carved into the stone since the scientists could not see how anyone could leave one footprint in lava - much less a trail of them.)

In the early 1960's, Elspeth P. Sterling, author of SITES OF MAUI, was shown various petroglyph sites in Kula, most of which are located on privately owned land.

At one time a large boulder with ancient petroglyphs etched in it was displayed (encased in wire mesh) at the old Fair Grounds in Kahului. It had been found by a Mr. Hollis Handy at Kahakuloa, according to archaeologist William M. Walker.

Then there are the Olowalu petroglyphs. About five miles southeast of Lahaina town, near the mouth of the Olowalu Valley, is a small, conspicuous hill called "Kilea." An ancient trail through a now-blocked mountain pass once connected Olowalu with Iao Valley. This trail, which was used by the refugees running away from the battle between Kamehameha and Maui chiefs at Kepaniwai, once ran right past this hill.
Pecked into the dense face of the sheer basalt cliff walls of the hill are over a hundred individual petroglyphs, including a famous one of a man with a crab-claw sail head, various human figures (many with triangular bodies), dogs and sails.

In the December 7, 1958 edition of the Honolulu Advertiser, writer Jeanne Booth Johnson describes the Oluwalu petroglyphs as being "of several types and of apparently different periods, some appearing fresher than others. The most recent were obviously made after the Hawaiians learned the written alphabet, as evidenced by names painstakingly carved above the older and more historical scratchings."
Johnson describes one as "reminiscent of an American Indian - he certainly possesses a feathered headdress resembling an Indian's war bonnet." The figure is held firmly in the grasp of another figure.

The petroglyphs at Olowalu used to be a tourist attraction with Hawaii Visitor Bureau markers pointing out the road to the hill as well as a viewing platform constructed up the side of the steep incline so visitors could get a better view of the rock art. However, when the petroglyph site was repeatedly vandalized, the site was officially closed to the public and the viewing platform was allowed to disintegrate.

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STANDARD ENGLISH: Paulie won at the drag races!
BRADDAH-NICS: Paulie went smoke all dem uddah guys down the drag race.

* * * * * * * *

STANDARD ENGLISH: Janet said she would arrange a blind date for Susan.
BRADDAH-NICS: Janet went tell she going fix up Susan wit' one bline date.

* * * * * * * *

STANDARD ENGLISH: Sally's always buying silly things she doesn't need and moaning because she has no money.
BRADDAH-NICS: Sheesh! Sally, all da time she buy any kine no-need kine stuffs and then she grumble no mo' money!

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Local Grinds

Pansit (Noodles with pork and shrimp)

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Soak long rice and mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes; drain. Cut long rice in 3 inch lengths.
Remove stems from mushrooms; dice caps. Slice pork thinly. Shell, clean, and cut shrimp into small
pieces. In a large skillet, heat oil; sauté garlic and brown pork. Stir in shrimp and mushrooms; sauté 1
minute. Add broth, patis and pepper; bring to a boil. Add long rice and noodles, stirring lightly until
noodles are cooked. Serve with lemon wedges.
Makes 6 servings.

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On any given weekday, one can pass by the Kahului post office on Pu'unene Avenue and be greeted simply by fast food establishments, gas stations, and other such modern facilities. Take a peek amongst the brick and mortar that line the road and you'll notice something different; an empty, rather dusty, park sized parcel of land surrounded by a chain link fence. Nothing special, until the weekend that is.

Come Saturday morning however, the once empty lot suddenly becomes a bustling flea market like no other: The Maui Swap Meet.

Here locals and visitors alike come to buy and sell a variety of wares, many of which are unique to the island of Maui. Some of the freshest, most diverse and delicious produce, locally concocted candies and confectionaries, unique art and souvenirs, jewelry, and much more is to be had at the Maui Swap Meet. As it is an open air affair, even a tan can be acquired if you roam the isles long enough.

Officially open at 7 a.m. (though early entrance is sometimes permitted), with closing set at noon, it is suggested that one arrive early as main parking fills up fast, (though secondary parking is available a short distance away), and, of course, the best items sell out fast. In fact, it is not uncommon to see some of the more popular vendors, such as local cookie bakers, close up shop by 10 a.m., due to stock sell out.

The entrance fee to the Maui Swap Meet is set at a very reasonably priced 50 cents per person, collected at the admissions gate.

Everything from Maui Clothes to Maui Coffee; it doesn't get much better than the Maui Swap Meet.

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