Festival celebrates kalo culture

Jerry Konanui delights in telling the story of Lihi­lihi­mo­lina, a variety of Hawaiian kalo, or taro, that was once considered lost.

Its name refers to the curve of eyelashes and a crescent moon. Characterized by a purple crescent in the center of its pinkish white corm, it is the only bicolored kalo that Native Hawaiians grew. It reputedly was the favorite variety of Queen Emma, wife of King Kame­ha­meha IV.

Lihilihimolina was reported growing in a garden in Puna on Hawaii island in 1967. Then it disappeared.

"It was not seen again until the 1990s, when a farmer found it in an abandoned loi in Wai­pio Valley," Kona­nui said. "He brought it to a kalo workshop I was holding in Hilo. After 30 years it was wonderful to see the purple crescent of Lihi­lihi­mo­lina again."

With the farmer’s blessing, Kona­nui — a respected researcher, educator and cultural practitioner who describes himself simply as "a farmer of traditional Hawaiian crops" — took the main stalk of the plant to his home in Puna and propagated it. The distinctive crescent appeared in his first harvest.

Excited, Konanui shared cuttings with kalo farmers and scholars statewide. But although the second generation of Lihi­lihi­mo­lina grew well, there were no crescents in the corms.

Five years passed, and succeeding generations also didn’t show crescents. Discouraged, some people threw their specimens away.

"Then someone from Oahu called and sent me a photo of Lihi­lihi­mo­lina with crescents," Kona­nui said. "Others from Maui and Molokai sent similar pictures. In fact, everyone who had kept Lihi­lihi­mo­lina was happy to have crops with crescents that year. Ever since then our Lihi­lihi­mo­lina has had crescents. It is back."

According to recent research by Kawika Winter, director of Lima­huli Garden and Preserve on Kauai, Hawaiians may have developed and cultivated up to 400 distinct varieties of kalo at the time of Western contact in the late 18th century.

For example, Paua is the only cultivar that could grow in Hawaii island’s Kau Desert. Laa­loa can stay in the ground for two years without rotting. In ceremonial offerings the brilliant-red Kumu is used as a substitute for the fish of the same name and color. Rainwater caught in the cup-shaped leaves of Apu­wai is considered sacred.

"Today if a collection has about 70 species, that’s considered great," Kona­nui said. "More and more kalo is being grown by backyard farmers, and we are getting samples, planting them, documenting them and identifying them."

Konanui will be one of the speakers at Wai­mea Valley’s inaugural Kalo and Awa Festival. Although kalo celebrations have been held there annually since 2007, this is the first year there will be an awa component. Both plants were among the 24 hardy, useful "canoe plants" that were brought to Hawaii by Polynesian voyagers some 1,500 years ago.

In Hawaiian mythology, kalo is the elder brother of man and thus holds a sacred role in the culture. Low in fat, sodium and cholesterol and high in fiber, potassium, manganese and vitamins E and B6, it is still a local staple that is often used in rituals. Those versed in Hawaiian healing practices note kalo’s ability to soothe burns, heal cuts and wounds, and alleviate swelling and insect bites.

In olden times, awa offerings were part of every important ceremony, from observing the birth of a royal child to beseeching the gods for victory in battle. Awa was used for spiritual healing and cleansing and to relieve sore muscles, reduce pain and anxiety, and induce sleep and relaxation without being addictive or impairing judgment.

Research shows the traditional beverage made from awa’s roots and corms might help prevent colon and prostate cancer. Equally notable are awa’s social benefits; drinking it as a group promotes camaraderie, unity and harmony.

At the festival, attendees will learn how to identify, grow, harvest, clean and prepare the two plants for consumption. They will hear about the recovery of long-lost varieties, the discovery of new ones and the latest findings of researchers around the world.

"It’s fitting for the festival to be held in Wai­mea Valley, which is one of the last partially intact ahupuaa (ancient land divisions) on Oahu," Kona­nui said. "Events like this are valuable opportunities to discuss ideas and concerns, to educate people and to encourage them to participate in the research and other activities that will keep the Hawaiian culture and our na mea kanu (traditional plants) alive."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Sta-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.