The koai'a all looked healthy, but I am anxious to see what their growth rates will be for the first year. Hopefully there will be a noticeable growth spurt in the near future.
On 2/20 Lahela and I went for a walk up Hakalau river valley to a waterfall that is special to us. We seen many species that I would like to bring up to the property including kukui, hau, ulu, banana, kalo, niu, mamaki, ti leaf, hoio, and hala. I have noticed that plants may differ slightly from place to place in Hawaii even though they are the same species, and would really like to have the plants from Hakalau represented and taken care of on our property. Anyway here are some photos of our hike.
I've been lagging on making a master plan with an outline for the whole property and will probably need to ask my 'ohana for technical help. Another factor is that the plan is constantly evolving. Though the goals and basic design are pretty much set, there are a thousand different ways to tweak the system for more efficient production and any plans made will need to be well thought out and flexible. I am open to any suggestions and constantly try to talk to people about what we're trying to do to see if there are people around with insightful information that could help us achieve our goals for this 'aina.
This past Saturday 2/26 We(Lahela, baby and I) drove to south Kona to The Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden for their annual Grow Hawaii festival. There were all sorts of practitioners using polynesian plants to revive Hawaiian cultural practices. From tapa makers using kauila i'e, to a group of kupuna making lauhala hats. There was even an old hawaiian man doing traditional feather work using more commonly available bird feathers. There were a few good talks including a relaxed mana'o sharing with Keoki and Yvonne Carter and uncles Jerry Konanui and Kanae Keawe. After their talk I told uncle Kana'e that I will be coming to him to ask for consultation on creating our own ethnobotanical garden on the Hilo side. It was good to hear these practitioners manao on Hawaiian cultural practices today so that when we plant our Polynesian plants we will have a realistic plan for them to be utilized and not just be planting a living museum. Another cool talk was a round table discussion of six managers of botanical gardens in hawai'i including managers from Limahuli and Kahanu Valley. They discussed what makes each Garden Unique as well as the value of having genetic preserves. I got to talk to Kamaui, a manager at Kahanu Valley NTBG, who help to preserve over 120 varieties of ulu. I asked him about specific varieties that produce abundantly in Hawaii, and which varieties to get to ensure a year-round harvest. Ulu trees are in high demand for them, but hopefully I can work with him to acquire the varieties that we desire for our preserve.
The Gardens were nice and neat, but I thought that they would be more extensive. Amy Greenwell's is the the premier ethnobotanical garden on the Big Island, and going there further convinced me that our Uluhou project is a worthwile endeavor and is something that will be utilized by our island ohana. Having said that, I am thankful for Amy Greenwell's Garden for the service it provides the island and think it is a valuable cultural and genetic resource. The burden of protecting our cultural resources should not fall on a single entity. By creating more cultural minded gardens we can improve the diversity and utility of such gardens. Hopefully this can also inspire, promote and enable more practioners, for how can we make tapa if no more wauke?
In March I will be looking for a good day to get the family out and do as much weed mat as possible so that in March/April we can put in another 400-500 koai'a.
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