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Hawaii Vacation Rental
Travel Blog
October 2009
| [Events] [Natural History] [Arts & Culture] [Braddah-Nics] [Local Grinds] [Hawaiiana] |
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And in case you missed them . . .
Meet Tess and Bud Burrid at Mewe Creations.
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Events
'Alaea, Achiote, Lipstick Tree
(Bixa orellana)
This native of tropical South America is an erect, evergreen shrub that belongs to one of the smallest plant families, the arnatoto or bixa family. (There are only two species, the Bixa arborea (a tree) and the Bixa orellana (a shrub that can grow into a small tree). It is grown as an ornamental for its highly decorative two-valved seed pods, covered with soft, deep red hairs.
The shrub has large, glossy, dark green, strongly veined, heart-shaped leaves. Five-petaled, pale orchid pink flowers, which appear in the spring, are lovely. The petals surround a central mass of lavender stamens and last just one day. They are followed by the showy, plum-shaped, red fruit capsules covered with soft spines - deep red when fresh, turning to stiff brown as they dry. When they are ripe the capsules open and exhibit two double rows of three to four dozen bright red seeds.
The seeds inside are covered by an orange-red powdery material which yield a dye called annato that can be used in small quantities to color lipstick or foods like cheese and margarine. This dye is not produced commercially in Hawaii, but the plants are grown for this purpose in South America.
The dye produced by the seed coverings is tasteless, nontoxic and easily prepared. Usually the seeds are fried in oil to release the color that is used in Filipino, Puerto Rican and South American cooking.
The seed covering was originally used as a war paint by Indians in tropical America. Later the Spaniards introduced the plant to the Philippines. The pulp used to be exported to Europe for dyeing cotton and silk fabric, before synthetic dyes were developed. This dye was made by soaking, fermenting and crushing the seeds and pressing them into paste or cakes. It had a tendency to fade so the dye was often mixed with other dyes like Brazilwood or weld.
The dried seed pods are also effective in flower arrangements.
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Forest Reserves
In ancient times the upland forest on all of the islands was a land of mists and mystery. It was the home of gods and spirits of the land as well as the place the enigmatic, secretive families of the bird-catchers claimed as their own. It was not a place where the common people ventured. After Western contact, that changed, and the forests were viewed either as a resource or as an obstacle to progress instead of a spirit place.
As early as 1846, the Hawaiian monarchs were concerned with the state of the Kingdom's forest. The first law was passed making the forests government property. Later, in 1876, there were legislating statutes to prevent continued forest destruction and the resultant reduction in the water supply. These attempts were not enough to stop the loss of forest cover. The continued development of agriculture and ranching and the spread and intensification of feral animals - mostly domestic animals that had gone wild or which (like the cattle) had been released into the wild and placed under a kapu so they could multiply and thrive - was unstoppable. Harvesting of various valuable trees to meet the appetites of the ali'i for foreign trade goods was rampant.
By the late 19th century, Honolulu businessmen such as Charles Bishop and Sanford Dole expressed concern about forest destruction by feral animals, insects and wood cutting, and during the last year of the Hawaiian Kingdom, in 1893, the legislature created a new government department, the Bureau of Agriculture and forestry.
The Bureau employed a forester and an entomologist, and operated a plant nursery. The Bureau's emphasis was on planting, however -- not on the preservation of existing forest. Most of its efforts were towards trying to replace native trees with faster growing alien species. (The native trees grew too slowly.)
After the loss of forests due to logging, clearing, ranching and the depredations of grazing and browsing animals in the previous few decades, the 20th century brought an increased awareness of the importance of forest cover as watersheds for the sugar industry, which was so important to Hawaii's economy.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent on water projects in the last decade of the 19th century, primarily on development of ditches and artesian wells. Most of this development was paid for by private companies. By the 1920s, agricultural concerns had spent more than $20 million on irrigation systems and pumping plants. The economic sense of developing such expensive systems is explained by the production statistics of 1895 to 1906 showing that irrigated plantations produced twice as much sugar as non-irrigated ones.
The reduction of native forest was blamed for the diminished water flow that could be made available for irrigation and fluming. Concern was voiced about the deteriorating state of Oahu forests above Honolulu, which resulted in erosion, greater runoff, and a decrease in the amount of water available to recharge springs and artesian wells. Less was said about the deforestation on the neighbor islands but the concern was there as well.
At the turn of the century, a visiting U.S. Bureau of Forestry extension agent did not consider Hawaii's native forests to be of commercial value. Hawaiian forests were viewed as "protection forests" as opposed to "supply forests". Water was considered their most valuable product. C. S. Judd, one of the chief proponents for forest protection, asserted that "water production will always be the paramount cause for the practice of forestry in these islands."
Even before the establishment of territorial forest reserves, private landowners had set aside land to preserve as forests and had planted land with trees (primarily introduced species). At the beginning of the 20th century, large private forest reserves were maintained above sugar plantations at Lihue, Kauai (10,000 acres) and Pahala, Hawaii (15,000 acres). Three hundred acres were planted at Kilohana Crater on Kauai in 1874, and a forester was employed by Lihue Plantation as early as 1881. H.P. Baldwin of Maui was cited as the most extensive tree planter of the islands for his planting of hundreds of thousands of trees, both native and alien species, on the lower slopes of Haleakala.
In the 1890s, sugar interests of the Big Island imported two foresters from Scotland to plant trees at Na'alehu in Ka'u District and Kukuihaele in Hamakua.
Also in 1890, the manager of Honouliuli Ranch on Oahu, Harry von Holt, built fences and planted trees (primarily non-native species) all over the southern Wai'anae Range to alleviate the treeless condition of formerly overstocked and eroded lands owned by Campbell Estate.
Despite these late 19th century private reforestation projects, the establishment of a government forest reserve system was seen as absolutely essential to the preservation of Hawaiian forests (and thus watersheds). A Forest Reserve System became a reality in 1903, with the creation by the territorial legislature of a Division of Forestry to be directed by a Board of Agriculture and Forestry through a Superintendent of Forestry.
The duties of the Division of Forestry as stipulated by Act 44 of the Legislature of 1903 were: "To devise ways and means of protecting, extending, increasing, and utilizing the forests and forest reserves, more particularly for protecting and developing the springs, streams, and sources of water supply, so as to increase and make such water supply available for use."
The first forest reserve was established in 1904 and included 913 acres of Oahu land owned by the Territory. Two years later, in 1906, the infant Forest Reserve System contained a total of 337,140 acres, two-thirds of this on the island of Hawaii.
The system grew steadily under the first Superintendent of Forestry, Ralph Sheldon Hosmer, who came to Hawaii in 1904 from the U.S. Forest Service and remained until 1914. His primary accomplishments were the organization of the Division of Forestry and the establishment of 37 forest reserves with 800,000 acres. While forest reserves were important watersheds, their boundaries were drawn "so as not to interfere with revenue-producing lands." They were limited to lands that were not generally thought useful for agriculture, and often the forest reserves continued to be used for raising cattle and other domestic animals.
The expansion of the Forest Reserve System continued under Charles S. Judd, the second Superintendent of Forestry, who served in this position from 1915 until his death in 1939. By 1936, the territorial forest reserves encompassed more than 1 million acres, more than half of which were on the island of Hawaii. Kauai, Oahu and Maui each contained nearly 150,000 acres of forest reserves and Molokai had almost 50,000 acres in the System. A few years later, Judd reported that 25% of the Territory's land area was in forest reserves - both government-owned and privately owned lands.
Although it was far from perfect, the system did ensure that important watershed areas would be (mostly) maintained as protected areas, and it did keep the forests from disappearing entirely.
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MOLOKAI pt.3
Kolo:
To crawl
Hālena:
Yellowish
Hālena was acclaimed for its gold to cream colored beach rock that was used to make steppingstones and patios.
Kawākiu:
“The Spy Place” or “Spy Time”
This is the site of the first Moloka’i to O’ahu outrigger canoe race. The race started here on October 27, 1952 with only three canoe entries. Then, due to calmer water conditions, the starting of the race was moved to Hale O Lono Beach in 1963.
Hale O Lono:
House of (the god) Lono
Hale O Lono is now the current beach that the Moloka’i to O’ahu outrigger canoe race starts. It happens every year in October and attracts canoe clubs from all over the world. The race ends at Magic Island in Honolulu, which means canoe paddlers have to cross the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel, giving it a reputation as the most challenging open ocean competition in the world.
Kanalukaha:
The passing wave
The greatest offshore surf activities can usually be found here. To many local residents, this beach is known as Pu’u Hakina. Pu’u Hakina is the name of the major hill to the rear of the beach.
Kapukuwahine:
The gathering place [of] females
Kahalepōhaku:
The stone house
Kahalepōhaku is also the name of a prior king on Maui.
Kamāka’ipō:
The night guard
Although Kamāka’ipō means the night guard, historians agree that this is not the correct pronunciation of the name, which means this may not be the correct meaning.
Within Kamāka’ipō there are five sections of beach and each section has its own name. The sections are: Sam Wight’s, Keo Nakama, Soda Pop Pool, Āholehole Flats, and Egusa’s. The first section, Sam Wight’s, got its name because Wight built a fishing shack above this beach. The second section, Keo Nakama was named after the first person to successfully cross the Moloka’i Channel by swimming! It took him fifteen and a half hours to swim from this section to Hanauma Bay. Soda Pop Pool is the name of the third section because there is a natural pool there that fills from waves spilling over the rocks and the white wash creates foam and bubbles on its surface. Āholehole Flats is the name of the fourth section because you can see large schools of the Āholehole fish swimming here. The final section is named Egusa’s for Kimi and Takujiro Egusa. They previously lived in a house above this beach.
Kaunalā:
Placing sun
Kapukahehu:
Kapukahehu beach is best known as Dixie Maru by Moloka’i residents. Stories state that the Dixie Maru was a Japanese fishing sampan that was wrecked off this beach in the early 1920’s. One of the employees at Moloka’i Ranch found the Dixie Maru name plate that was washed on the shore at this beach. He hung it on a gate close-by and since then, the bay and beach has been known as Dixie Maru.
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Braddah-Nics Lexicon
STANDARD: I'm sorry I am so disorganized.
BRADDAH-NICS: Sorry, yeah. I stay all hemajang!
* * * * * * *
STANDARD: I did not realize there was a new building there.
BRADDAH-NICS: Oh, wow! Since when get one new building ovah deah?
* * * * * *
STANDARD: We have lots of time.
BRADDAH-NICS: Get plenny time.
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Cold Somen Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. (9 oz.) somen
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1/2 pkg. (7 oz. size) komoboko, slivered
- 1/4 lb char siu, slivered
- 1/4 lb ham slivered
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
Procedure:
Cook noodles according to package directions; rinse, drain, then chill. In a saucepan, combine sugar, broth, soy sauce, vinegar and oil. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool. To serve, place somen on a large platter. Garnish and serve with broth mixture. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
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