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Natural History

Kamani
(Calophyllum inophyllum)


Kamani, also called "Alexandrian laurel," was one of the plants said to have been introduced to the Pacific Islands by early human migrations. It is a member of the Mangosteen family. The tree is found on western Pacific coastlines and is revered in many island cultures. It thrives in moist lowland and coastal areas. It is often used in resort and public plantings but also grows wild in the coastal forests.

The plant was probably transported to Hawaii as seeds. The tall, handsome 60 foot tree is a native of a broad area from Eastern Africa to India, and to the Tuamotos of French Polynesia. In Ceylon, the kamani nut is called the "punnai nut." The oil expressed from the nut is used medicinally there. The Hawaiians thought all parts of the tree have medicinal properties.

The low-branching tree has leathery and shiny, blunt, oblong, close-veined leaves that are three to eight inches long. The bark of the tree is rough and gray and the richly colored fine-grained wood is hard and tough.

Kamani was one of four tree species that furnished the bulk of wood for 'umeke la'au, or "calabashes" as they are called in English. These bowls were primarily used to transport, serve and store foods in various stages of preparation. They were especially useful for storing and serving poi. The bowls were also often used as storage containers for lengths of kapa, Hawaiian bark-cloth, and for feathered garments. The wood was also used to construct the prows of canoes.

The flowers are white and grow in clusters of from four to fifteen individual flowers that are about an inch across. They have four sepals, four to eight petals and many bright yellow stamens and are very fragrant when fresh. The flowers look and smell like orange blossoms. They were often used to impart fragrance to kapa and were used in lei.

The fruits are green, globose and can grow to about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. They are the size and shape of a chicken egg. They have a thin leathery skin that turns yellowish when dried. At one time, the husk was used to produce a brownish mauve dye for kapa.

Inside each fruit is one light brown thin-shelled nut, up to about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. They are still used even in modern times to make distinctive lei. The nuts contain a cork-like layer surrounding a large, partly poisonous kernel. The kernel is white and very oily. These nuts are abundant during June through October.

Oil was expressed from the kamani nut and sometimes used as an alternative to kukui nut oil in ancient stone lamps. The oil was also rubbed over coconut bowls to give them a high polish.

Children made kamani nut whistles called "oeoe" that they used as noisemakers. They would drill a 3/8 inch diameter hole into the nut and remove the cork and the kernel. Two small holes, one on each side of the larger hole accommodated the ends of a long string made of hau cordage. The nut whistles were twirled on the string producing, as the result of air trapped in the nuts entering through the larger holes, a high shrill note.

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Arts & Culture

Carthaginian II

Proudly adorning Lahaina Harbor is Carthaginian II, a replica of a 19th century brig.

The Carthaginian I, featured in the movies "Hawaii" and "The Hawaiians" ran aground and shattered on a coral reef just outside Lahaina Harbor as it was headed for dry dock in Honolulu in 1972. The sinking of the first Carthaginian was a minor tragedy in the life of the town that had been the home of kings.

Its replacement, the Carthaginian II, was a 97 foot steel-hulled vessel purchased by the Lahaina Restoration Foundation and converted into a replica whaling ship and floating museum to replace the popular tourist attraction. A big point was made that she was exactly the same size as the "Thaddeus," the ship which carried the first missionaries to Hawaii from Boston. Visitors were invited to imagine what it must have been like for the missionaries, tossing across the waves for many months crammed inside her.

Built in Germany in 1920, the vessel was converted to diesel by Swedish owners, then for many years, hauled bulk cement in the Balkan Sea. When the Lahaina Restoration Foundation bought the ship an all-Lahaina crew sailed her across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to Maui, where she was overhauled and turned into "the only authentic square-rigged brig in he world."

For over 30 years, Carthaginian II was a floating whaling museum, showing continuous videotapes of humpback whales and acting as a report center for whale sightings. But age caught up with her, finally. It was decided that refurbishing the old ship was cost-prohibitive and, anyway, she would probably not survive being towed to Oahu for the repairs. Meanwhile, she was becoming a potential safety hazard sitting in the harbor.

In 2003, the Lahaina Restoration Society asked Atlantis Submarine Maui, a tour company featuring underwater ocean tours, for help in exploring whether she could be used as an artificial reef off the Lahaina coast. The company, which had been offering submarine tours off Lahaina since 1991, agreed.

After over a year of working with government agencies (including preparing an environmental impact statement) and working on getting the locals to agree to let the old girl go to her rest, the company (which funded the entire project without government help), scuttled the ship and secured her offshore 95 feet below the waves between Puamana Park and Laniupoko Park. This happened in December, 2005.

Now she sits under water, a home for the fishes, and a delight for scuba divers and tourists riding in the company's submarines. In the years ahead it's hoped that the coral reef will grow on and around her and that she will provide opportunities for study and for enjoyment as she quietly moulders away.

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Braddah-Nics Lexicon

STANDARD: He does not act arrogantly.
BRADDAH-NICS: He no goin' ac' like he all dat.


* * * * * *


STANDARD: All right, don't listen! You'll see.
BRADDAH-NICS: If you no like lis'en now, fine. Da time goin' come for you!


* * * * * *


STANDARD: I'm afraid we are not very close.
BRADDAH-NICS: Aaah...us guys only close for talk.
 

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Local Grinds

Manapua


Ingredients:

Procedure:

Chop char siu into small pieces to make filling.

Make dough shell by dissolving yeast in water. Add sugar and shortening. Mix flour to make a fairly stiff dough.
Knead until smooth. Cover and let rise in warm place for 2-4 hours.

Divide dough into 24 pieces, then flatten with palm of hand. Place one portion filling in middle of dough circle. Pleat edges of circle and press firmly; pleat entire circle in this fashion. Wrap up entire circle and press all edges together to close. Place filled buns on squares of paper
and let rise for 10 minutes. Arrange buns in a steamer 1/2 inch apart and steam 15-18 minutes over high heat; remove, serve, and enjoy.

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Spotlight On…

Fertility Stone - Molokai

Centuries ago, the Hawaiian god of fertility, Nanahoa, made his home on the island of Molokai.
Here he planned to settle down and enjoy a peaceful life with his lovely wife Kawahuna. One day Nanahoa went for a stroll, admiring the solitude of the island, when he came upon a young woman staring at her reflection in a pool of water. So breathtaking was she, that Nanahoa stopped to admire her striking beauty from afar. As he watched her, his wife watched the both of them. Enraged that her husband may find any other woman so attractive, Kawahuna stormed to the pool and attacked the young woman. Surprised and angered by his wife's jealousy, Nanahoa came down to break up the fight; causing his wife to roll off a cliff in the commotion. As she fell, a strange thing happened; both Kawahuna and Nanahoa turned to stone . . .

While it is not known what happened to the stone of Kawahuna, the Nanahoa stone became an idol of fertility. To this day, women would come to this stone, pray, give offerings, and even sleep beside Nanahoa in the hopes that doing so will improve their chance of conception.
Since the discovery of the Fertility Stone hundreds of years ago, the surrounding site has been turned into a sort of fertility shrine; many other stones and petroglyphs were placed amongst the landscape to promote prayer for not only human fertility, but for that of lands that may yield many crops of important Hawaiian staples.

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