[ Natural History ] [ Arts & Culture ]
[ Braddah-Nics ] [ Local Grinds ] [ Spotlight On ]

Natural History

'Ilima
(Sida fallax)


The 'ilima has been loved for centuries. In ancient Hawaiian legend, Maui rescued the goddess Hina, killing her kidnapper, Kuna Loa, the monster eel. Hina celebrated her release from Kuna's dark wet cave by picking 'ilima and draping herself with the golden flower lei.

This flower is a small golden hibiscus that is distributed throughout the Pacific and in China. It is native to the Pacific Islands and is more abundant in Hawaii than anywhere else. The plant grows in relatively undisturbed places, particularly in coastal areas where it is usually prostrate. In mountain forests it grows into an erect shrub.

It once was considered to be the emblem of the nation of Hawaii. When Hawaii's state flower was chosen, the 'ilima was replaced by its larger cousin, the ma'o hau hele. The 'ilima flower now represents the island of O'ahu. Pa'u riders in parades and the "royalty" in May Day "courts" use the lei to signify that they represent the island of O'ahu.

In 1819, French botanist Charles Gaudichaud recorded the collecting of the flowers in Kailua, Kona and its use in lei. This was probably the earliest modern written record of the flower's use in Hawaii.

It is likely that 'ilima was the only non-food plant ancient Hawaiians cultivated. The beloved goddess of the hula, Laka, it was said, often took the form of 'ilima, which was a favorite of her mother Kukuena, the goddess who presides over lei making. The flower appears in the Hi'iaka and Pele myths as well.

The full Hawaiian name for the 'ilima flower, according to one source, is "aloalo 'ilima papa." Others say that the plant is called 'ilima ku kula, "open country 'ilima." The cultivated, royal 'ilima is called 'ilima lei, and there is a creeping variety called 'ilima papa, "ground 'ilima," which barely exceeds two inches in height. The last makes an interesting ground cover along arid roadsides and on lonely beaches. Once abundant, the ground 'ilima's habitat has been usurped by sugar plantations and land development.

It is interesting to note that the scientific name for the plant means "a deceiving nymph." In Hawaiian, the plant is poetically called pua 'apiki, the "mischievous flower." Apparently, the lei was supposed to attract mischievous spirits, according to Pukui and Elbert's Hawaiian dictionary. Given that, it is surprising that the plants were commonly planted around houses so the flowers would always be on hand for lei and for medicinal purposes.
Perhaps the spirits were benign in their mischief, since when a high chief came to visit, the women gathered the 'ilima, maile vines and the orange red fruit of hala to make a lei.

The open country 'ilima is a common tough, fast-growing roadside bush with tissue-thin flowers in shades of yellow, gold, and copper. It is highly adaptable to growing conditions.

The common roadside shrub is likely to grow up to three feet high. In lush valleys, it could grow as tall as six feet high. When growing in 'a'a lava, sand or in poor soil with scrubby grasses, the 'ilima is small and scraggly. In moister valleys, the scalloped heart-shaped leaves can reach several inches across. In very dry areas, its gray-green downy leaves may be covered by a velvety layer of whitish hairs. Their long woody stems were occasionally used for building slats but the flowers were rarely utilized.

Meanwhile, the cultivated variety of 'ilima, also known as 'ilima lei or royal 'ilima used most often for making lei, is a bush several feet tall with orange-yellow flowers. When the delicate flowers are strung, they look very much like the yellow feather lei made from the feathers of the 'o'o and the mamo, rare (and possibly extinct) endemic birds.

The flower was a favorite of Queen Emma's. She preferred the lei above all the rest. This may have given rise to the mistaken notion that the lei was "royal" and only to be worn by the high chiefs. According to the writers of the Bishop Museum Bulletin, NATIVE PLANTERS IN OLD HAWAII, in some areas during taro planting, the lines of weeders, mulchers and planters dressed themselves in traditional white malo and wore lei of 'ilima, hala and maile as they moved forward in unison through the irrigated terraces of taro.

Since gold was (and still is) a royal color, others say, the 'ilima lei was called "the royal lei" because it was favored by the royal family and was the lei most often presented to those of high rank. A lei might be yards long, each ali'i wearing several.

During the Hawaiian Monarchy period, in the late 1800s, one sign of culture was the writing of songs. One composition by Princess Emma Alexandria De Fries praised the beautiful 'ilima:

"This flower is softly fragrant
And quickly secured.
Lovely when pelted with dew.
O beautiful 'ilima,
Choice of my heart,
O sweet and charming flower,
Soft and lovely to behold."

Many lei makers prefer to gather the 'lima flowers before the sun comes up. It is painstaking labor to pick and then string 500 to 700 blossoms for a single neck lei which lasts only for a day. Receiving an 'ilima lei is a still sign of cherishing and a bestowing of good wishes from the giver.
There is a riddle that asks, "In the evening gathered; in the morning pierced, in the forenoon, hung in the air." The answer, of course, is 'ilima.
'Ilima plants are easy to transplant or grow from seed. Traditionally Hawaiians embedded an 'opihi (limpet) shell under the young seedling so the mature plant would have "the firmness of an 'opihi."

As a medicinal source, the flowers of 'ilima were sometimes used to cure general debility, womb disorders and asthma. Juice squeezed out of the flowers is used as a gentle baby laxative called kanakamaika'i.

[ Top ]

Arts & Culture

Kaluanui

The ongoing furor regarding the sale of Kaluanui, the graceful estate of Harry and Ethel Baldwin which has been a long-time home for Maui's most active learning center for the visual arts, Hui No'eau, is a reminder of the important part the place has played in the development of the arts on Maui.

Harry was H. A. Baldwin, son of Alexander and Baldwin founder Henry P. Baldwin. He succeeded his father as one of the most powerful men on Maui and was the head of several family businesses.

On July 19, 1897, he married a Honolulu girl, Ethel Frances Smith, and they had one child, Frances Hobron Baldwin, who became Mrs. J. Walter Cameron.

In 1912, Harry became the president as well as manager of the Maui Agricultural Company. He also actively entered politics that year and remained a central, dominant political figure in the County of Maui for more than 30 years.

Baldwin served in the territorial Senate from 1913 to 1922. In 1922, following the death of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, Baldwin was chosen at a special election to fill the Prince's unexpired term as delegate to the U. S. Senate.

The press of his business affairs forced him to decline a nomination for a full term after 1922. (At various times during his life, he also served as president of the Haleakala Ranch Company, Maui Telephone Company and Maui Publishing Company.) Still, H. A. kept the chairmanship of the Maui County Republican Party Central Committee from 1912 until 1946.

He served briefly in the territorial House of Representatives when he defeated Democrat Clarence A. Crozier in a special election to fill a vacancy created by the death of Representative Thomas Holstein in 1933. From 1935 to 1938, he again served in the territorial Senate, becoming president of the Senate for the legislative term of 1937 to 1938, when he retired as a legislator.

The two-story tile-roofed Mediterranean-style home at Kaluanui was designed for the Baldwins in 1917 by the renowned architect, C. W. Dickey. The stucco house at the end of a tree-lined driveway off Baldwin Avenue was built near the remains of one of Maui's earliest sugar mills, which was located outside of Makawao town. Run by mule power, this mill was the first in Hawaii to use centrifugal force for separating sugar crystals.

In 1934, Ethel, her daughter Frances, and a small group of friends founded Hui No'eau, Maui's oldest art society, "to stimulate an appreciation for the arts in Maui County." Ethel painted in a bright upstairs room and used a small cottage behind the main house as a jewelry studio. Frances was also a talented painter in pastels, watercolors and oils. They often invited friends to join them, and, from that small beginning, the Hui began.

In 1976, Colin Cameron, the Baldwin's grandson, granted use of the old estate to the non-profit group for their visual arts center. Since then, the Hui, has maintained the place as a workshop center for the benefit of its membership and visiting artists, with a lot of volunteer help and community support.

The house has been used for frequent exhibits and shows of works by members, as well as a gift shop. The artist-in-residence program sponsored by the group have hosted numerous artists from around the world who have shared their knowledge with Maui artists. The enclosed lanai where there were cages for Harry and Ethel's canaries make a beautiful place to set up a workshop, and skilled artists and artisans hold classes there (and throughout the estate), teaching their techniques to children and adults. The stables, where Harry kept his beloved horses, were developed into a pottery studio. Spaces have been developed as well for woodworking, printmaking, and photography in the various outbuildings.

Two of Maui's largest hybrid Cook and Norfolk Island pine trees can still be found near the house and the beautifully maintained grounds have often been used for crafts fairs and open house parties.

Mary Cameron Sanford tells a funny story about the tiled lily pond in front of the house in the garden courtyard. When Bufo marinus toads were first introduced in the 1930's to the island in an attempt to control noxious alien insects like centipedes and mosquitoes, they were an immediate success. Like many such introductions to the islands, they initially experienced a population explosion. The Bufos were especially fond of ponds and invaded every one they could find...including Sanford's grandmother's lily pond at Kaluanui. The noise drove Ethel crazy, so she had the pond drained. Begonia planters were placed into the tiled area instead of water.

The noise stopped, but not the invasion of toads. They hopped into the pit and then they couldn't get out again. The toads were starving to death in there. The smell got fearsome. Ethel asked her chauffeur to DO something, and the clever man invented Bufo ladders -- a six-inch wide board with little horizontal treads nailed on it at intervals. The pond was cleaned out and the ladders installed. Bufos still dove into the waterless pit, but they could use the ladders to climb out again.

[ Top ]

Braddah-Nics Lexicon

STANDARD: I have a houseful of guests; my aunt and her family are visiting.
BRADDAH-NICS: My house stay full! My auntie them go stay come.

* * * * * * * *

STANDARD: Harold's developing a paunch, don't you think?
BRADDAH-NICS: Ho...Harold some bumbucha, no?

* * * * * * * *

STANDARD: She was quite rude.
BRADDAH-NICS: Oh, wow! Only auntie, her!
 
 

[ Top ]

Local Grinds

Almond Float

Ingredients:

Procedure:

Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup of water. Pour remaining 1 cup of water into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add softened gelatin and stir until dissolved. Stir in sugar, milk and almond extract. Pour into an 8 inch square pan and chill until firm. To serve, drain peaches, saving the liquid. Cut peaches into smaller pieces. Put back into liquid, adding lychee and cherries. Cut almond gelatin into diamond shapes. Carefully put into fruit mixture. Makes 8 servings.

 [ Top ]

Spotlight On…

Kaluaha Church Ruins - Molokai

Built fourteen years after the first Protestant missionaries landed on Molokai, the Kaluaha Church became the first recorded outpost of Christianity on the island of Molokai. Erected in 1884 as one of the largest Western style structures on Molokai, Kaluaha Church, founded by the Reverend Harvey Hitchcock, had been used as a place of worship until the 1940's. For reasons unknown, the structure became abandoned at that time; left to the care of the elements, becoming a shadow of it's former self. Hallowed ruins now stand in the churches place, denoted by a large wooden cross and small groupings of headstones from times past.

[ Top ]