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Natural History

'Awa, Pu'awa
(Piper methysticum)

Native to Melanesia, 'awa was introduced very early to Pacific islands by seafaring voyagers. Legend has it that the wandering gods, Kane and Kanaloa, planted 'awa in Hawaii. However it reached the islands, it quickly became incorporated into the culture. Apparently, Hawaii had the proper conditions - adequate rainfall, mountains, deep soils and tall trees to provide shade - that allowed the plants to thrive.

'Awa is an attractive shrub growing to about 15 feet tall. It is related to the shrub that produces the black pepper and the beverage made from it has a slightly peppery aftertaste. It grows best in damp, shaded valleys at fairly low elevations, usually at forest edges and near streamlets. In the past, shrubs were planted around village taro patches and a few localities on each of the Hawaiian Islands were famous for their 'awa groves. It was also collected from the lush lowland forests where it had escaped from cultivation.

The large heart-shaped leaves of the 'awa plant have gracefully curving veins that resemble those of the yam and are somewhat velvety when young. The heavy, jointed stems are reminiscent of bamboo. Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants and in Hawaii, seeds are rarely set. The root (technically an underground stem), which forms a knotted mass several inches thick and up to two or three feet long, is used to make the notorious beverage. The larger the root, it is said, the better the quality. Apparently, with the passing of the years, the roots concentrate strength and flavor.

Until haoles arrived in Hawaii with liquor and methods to distill 'okolehao from ti roots, the drink made from 'awa root was the staple relaxant and intoxicant. Consumed primarily for its tranquilizing effect, 'awa was enjoyed by all classes of people.

Hawaiians recognized at least 18 different named varieties of the plant. The most common was the green 'awa. The most fragrant and choicest of the varieties were reserved for the ali'i, chiefs, and certain other varieties were kept for ritual use by the kahuna, priests.

Descriptions vary about how the drink was prepared from the root in ancient times. It is agreed, however that the root had to be chewed to crush and soften it. It is likely that children with strong teeth stuffed the roots into their mouths, chewed them up, and spat out the results into a special calabash called a kanoa. Water or the liquid drained from coconuts was added to the accumulated mass and it was allowed to sit for a while. Next, the contents of the calabash were strained into another bowl through a bundle of 'ahu'awa sedge fibers laid in either a perforated gourd or a coconut shell with its three small "eyes" serving as drainage holes.

(In modern times, instant, powdered 'awa is available, making the preparation process a lot less time-consuming a
Before partaking of the drink, it was customary for the drinker to take a cup of it outside the hut, dip his right index finger into the liquid three to five times, each time singing his hand over his right shoulder and flipping drops of the drink upward and backward. As he did so, he prayed to the family gods.

The general drinker did not sip his 'awa. He held his breath, gulped the whole lot down, and then grabbed a stick of sugarcane, fish or sweet potato to offset its bitter taste. An old saying in Hawaiian refers to the drink's bitter taste: 'Awa ke au (how bitter the 'awa). The saying makes a sly dig at a person with a sour disposition.

Modern tastes prefer a very dilute form of 'awa, which produces a mild numbness in the mouth and tongue. In stronger doses the taste becomes acrid and pungent and the numbing effect is more marked. Heavy drinking causes the muscles to relax profoundly and the drinker enters a euphoric state where he is fully conscious but cannot speak. Eventually, friendliness dissolves into sleep.

There were heavy drinkers who took pride in the large doses of the soporific drink that their body could consume. This, unfortunately, manifested in both mental and physical disorders when 'awa was later mixed with alcohol.

A mild, nonalcoholic drug, 'awa appears to be non-harmful. However, historical evidence indicates that extreme usage in early Hawaii produced many indolent people and tarnished the effectiveness of otherwise capable leaders. Long-term overuse resulted in scaly (reptilian) skin and bloodshot eyes. Furthermore, it paved the way for over-consumption of whaler's grog, 'okolehao and more potent forms of alcohol.

Medicinally 'awa has been employed in many Pacific cultures because of its numbing effect. Inhabitants of New Guinea use it as a painkiller while tattooing. Hawaiian kahuna prescribed it for general debility and to alleviate ailments of the head, muscles, bladder, reproductive organs and skin. Throughout Polynesia, it is employed for headaches, asthma, bronchitis, and miscellaneous body pains.

In the1850s 'awa contributed to gonorrhea treatment and was even exported to Europe for this purpose. Medical research indicates that 'awa acts anesthetically on the urinary tract tissues. Today it is used commercially in the West as a bladder sedative and also in Polynesia where it is mixed with noni (Morinda citrifolia) and milo (Thespesia populnea) for treatment of the urinary tract.

As a result of medical demand for 'awa overseas, it became one of Hawaii's earliest export items. A slow grower, it was cultivated on Maui as well as on the Big Island. Rights were granted to local people to collect roots for personal use and expensive permits were required if the 'awa was sold. Laws required that harvesters were to plant two dozen cuttings for every mature bush dug. The industry folded after 14 years, having exported an estimated 15,000 pounds. Pharmaceutical laboratories in Germany were the major importers, where biochemists used it for medicine and analytical research.

The demand for fresh 'awa dwindled when some of its active ingredients became artificially synthesized. It is interesting that the names of three of its active ingredients (kawain, dihydrokawain, and methysticin) are based on the Polynesian variant of 'awa (kawa) and its scientific name, Piper methysticum.

However, 'awa has not been completely relegated to the dust-heap of history. In Hawaii, people from a large cross section of society enjoy a little 'awa on the side. Many old-timers recall past pleasurable moments too. Even space technology has found a use for its powdered green extract - as a relaxant for astronauts.

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Arts & Culture

How Kula Went Dry

Kula, resting high on the flanks of Haleakala, is not famous for lush tropical growth. It is an arid place, depending for farm irrigation on a manmade pipeline system that extends from Waikamoi, at the edge of the remaining windward rain forest belt on the east flank of the mountain.

However, according to at least one newspaper article (published in the Star-Bulletin and Advertiser on July 1, 1962), the place was apparently much more verdant at one time. In the article, Karl H. Korte, the Maui district state forester for the State Dept. of Land and Natural Resources at that time, said that his researches into the old records had found that before 1850 Kula was supplied with moisture naturally through the existence of a large forest. It was possible then to "fill a sizable tank with water from cloud drip in Kula during one night."

But, land that had always been used for growing sweet potatoes was well-suited for cultivating the Irish potatoes favored by the whalers. Many of the fleets of whaling ships stopped in Lahaina for restocking their supplies, favoring Maui over the potato-poor Oahu. In 1846, one source says, "Lumbering bullocks hauled a yearly crop of 20,000 barrels down the mountain to whaling ships anchored at Lahaina or Kalepolepo." Other vegetables were also in great demand, and more and more land was cleared for cultivation.

Then the California Gold Rush began around 1849. The 49'ers needed food desperately, and, in answer to that demand Korte said, the great forest was cut down so that more farm plots could be opened up. Tons of Kula potatoes, onions and other vegetables were grown and shipped to California at the height of the Gold Rush. The prices shot to exorbitant levels.

One Maui visitor who had gone to seek his fortune in the gold fields remarked," California is yonder in Kula. THERE is the gold without the fatigue and sickness of the mining country." Kula was nicknamed "Nu Kaleponi," meaning "New California."

By the early 1850's, the mainland market for Maui produce collapsed as California began growing its own food. The fertile fields in Kula reverted to small-scale farming. By the late 1800s, destruction of the Kula forests was completed by ranchers clearing for pasture lands, according to Korte.

And when the forest was cleared, the water was free to wash down the mountain, carrying soil from Kula to the coast and filling with mud the extensive fresh water ponds in Kihei on the Maalaea Bay coast below Kula. The clear ponds for which Kihei was once famous became swamps and mudflats.

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Braddah-Nics Lexicon

STANDARD: How long have you been unemployed?
BRADDAH-NICS: Since when you no mo' job?

* * * * * * *

STANDARD: May I have some?
BRADDAH-NICS: Where mines?

* * * * * * * *

STANDARD: It's just one thing after another, isn't it?
BRADDAH-NICS: Sheesh! What mo' goin' happen?
 

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Local Grinds

Torikatsu (Chicken cutlets with Hot Sauce)

Ingredients:

Procedure:

Remove skin and bones from chicken breasts; sprinkle chicken with salt. Dredge chicken in flour, dip in eggs,
and coat with panko. Heat oil in electric skillet to 375 degrees. Fry chicken until golden brown; drain
on absorbent paper. Combine remaining ingredients and serve with chicken.
Makes 6 servings.

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Spotlight On…

Bellstones of the Islands

In the times of old, when Ali'i ruled a more rural landscape, the royal life was taken note of by the commoners and treated with great enthusiasm. From their comings and goings to royal family events, the Kings and Queens of Hawaii were of the utmost importance to their subjects; whom did everything in their own power to keep apprised of their rulers important moments. It is this enthusiasm that lead to the implementation of the "Bellstones."

Typically comprised of gigantic boulders formed from lava, cooled for ages, and found or placed amongst the landscape, these Bellstones are so called for their harmonic abilities. When rapped in different spots the porous qualities of the lava rock emit varying tones which can be heard over great distances. For ages, these Bellstones were used to announce the arrival or departure of royal bodies, the births of Kings to be, and other events of royal importance.

Though surely some have been lost to time and progress, some Bellstones still do exist; widely spread throughout the island chain. If you wish to see one for yourself simply take a drive along Halawa Valley Drive on the island of Molokai: on the side of the road lies a well preserved Bellstone which, if rapped correctly, will take you back to the times of royalty and Old Hawaii . . .

 

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