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KO, Sugar Cane
(Saccharum officinarum)

Sugar cane, ko, was introduced early to Hawaii by the Polynesians, who brought cuttings with them from the South Pacific. The plant is a giant grass with stalks 15 to 20 feet tall and sometimes taller. It was thought to be the kino lau (physical manifestation) of the god Kane. There are more than 40 recorded Hawaiian names for different varieties of sugar cane. Certain sugar canes and fishes of corresponding colors had the same names.

In areas that were not too dry, ko was planted near houses for the children to cut and chew. They were planted on the embankments of the wet-taro lo’i or used as hedges for windbreaks in the dry-taro and sweet potato fields.

The leaves measure from one to several feet in length and vary from one or two or more inches in width. They are smooth except for their margins, which are serrated, and each leaf has a midrib. Leaves at the lower part of the stalk die, become dry and hang down. In ancient times, lau ko (sugar cane leaves) were used to thatch shelters if pili grass was not available.

The feathery cane flower stalks, pua ko, appear at the upper end of the stalk, usually around November or December. Pua ko tassels vary in length from one to two feet and are multi-branched. The branches bear many small rosy to lavender flowers that become silvery with age.

An old Hawaiian saying, “the sugar cane is growing white” is a poetic way of saying one is growing old. A riddle Hawaiians used to pose was, “The sugar cane flowers....” The correct response was, “The he’e (octopus) appears.”

The stem of the sugar cane is filled with a solid fibrous juicy pulp and it was grown primarily for its sweet juice or “sap” by the Hawaiians. The stalks have clearly marked internodes and a very hard thick skin. In high winds, the stalks may lean almost to the ground.

The fresh undiluted juice was used as sweetening for puddings. Toasted over an open fire, it was fed to nursing babies. Children were encouraged to chew whole peeled sections to strengthen teeth and gums.

The juices of certain varieties of ko were thought to have curative properties. Certainly bitter-tasting herb remedies were made more palatable with the addition of cane juice. At least one herbalist recommended using the very young shoots of the sugar cane in a heated poultice for wounds, cuts, and sores.

Charcoal made by burning the leaves and stems was used for dyeing and decorating kapa cloth.
Pua ko were fashioned into lightweight darts for the game ke’a pua, which was played during the Makahiki season when the cane was in bloom. The tassel darts were slid along the ground in a distance contest. In one variation of the game, a whipstick was fashioned out of bamboo and cord and used to fling the darts farther.

Arrows made from the stalk of sugarcane and tipped with bone or kauila, a hard wood,
were used with bows to shoot rats held captive in a small arena. Called, pana ‘iole, meaning “shoot rat”, it was a sport reserved for kings and chiefs.

A now-rare lei form is lei puako, made from the plaited tassels of the cane. After the arrival of Captain Cook, the natives also developed a lei made by braiding strips of the flower stalk into ornate patterns. These lei were usually worn on hats made from the same fiber.

Sugar cane has long been part of the history of Hawaii. In 1778, while anchored off Maui, Captain Cook purchased a large quantity of cane from the natives. He nearly touched off a mutiny among his men on board his ship, the Resolution, when he brewed up some “cane beer” and tried to substitute the more nutritional drink for the men’s daily ration of rum and water.

During the early 19th century, the first attempts were made to turn the wild cane into a cash crop. A number of Chinese immigrants were tong see, sugar masters, and they started successful sugar plantations on Maui and the Big Island. In 1828, two Chinese merchants established the Hungtai Sugar Works at Wailuku.

In those early years, the attempt on O’ahu to distill sugar cane into rum ran afoul of the Regent Kaahumanu and the Christian chiefs. The angry chiefs placed a kapu on the operation and the missionaries, by refusing the use of their bullock carts (the only means of transporting the cane), shut down the operation. Kaahumanu ordered the destruction of the cane fields.

By the mid-1800’s, however, three things happened: Whaling was slowing down, the gold rush flurry was fading, and the Hawaiian government passed laws allowing aliens to purchase land in fee simple. The interest in growing sugar became acute. As long as the gold rush lasted, times were good for the sugar growers, but when that market failed, many of the early growers went bankrupt. A few survived, however, and conditions began to improve.

Then came the American Civil War. The War crippled whaling in the Pacific, but it made Hawaiian sugar. Southern sugar disappeared from the market and in the northern states of the Union the prices of sugar started to climb. Planters who had invested in growing sugar began to see a return on their investments and the survivors began forming companies to share the risks.

By the time the sugar industry was in the middle of rapid expansion, the native Hawaiian population was in decline and there was a major shortage of workers. The planters collaborated to import workers from abroad. The first shipload of Chinese contract-workers was brought to Hawaii in January, 1852, and the workers were distributed among the planters who had financed the venture. This was the beginning of the practice of bringing in agricultural workers from many different countries to work in the fields. Many of these workers remained after they fulfilled their contracts, making the islands their home.

The impact the sugar industry has had on politics, business philosophy, and the makeup of the population in the Islands has been documented elsewhere. King Sugar shaped our island culture and still plays a large role in it.

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THE GLISTENING WATER

Waianapanapa is a state park to the north of Hana town. The park includes many historical sites, cabins, picnic facilities, and a coastal hiking trail. It is also the name of a large, water-filled cave on the park grounds, which was the site of an ancient murder.

The ancient King’s Highway runs along the cliffs of the Park. Wild waves crash onto surreal black beaches and roar through the caves and lava tubes that honeycomb the mountains. Large natural stone arches stand like bridges to nowhere and the laid stones of ancient temples blend with the tortured rocks of the landscape.

There was a story printed in the Paradise of the Pacific magazine in the 1930’s regarding the tragic story of a young chiefess named Popoalaea. A powerful warrior chief, Kakae, saw the young woman and took her as his wife to his isolated mountain home on the slopes above Kauiki, in Hana. It should have been a happy marriage. Popoalaea was very beautiful and sweet natured and her husband was a strong and much-admired chief.

However, Kakae was twenty years older than his young wife was, and as time went on, he became unreasonably suspicious and jealous of her. He kept other men away from her and watched her every move, looking for some sign of her disaffection with him. He would rant and rave at her, making her life a misery.

Her brother Piilani, a gentle young man, decided to move near her to keep her company. Together they wandered through the woods looking for herbs and plants for his house. When she was with her brother, Popoalaea was happy.

Even this little bit of contentment was not to last, however. Kakae was infuriated by the affection between brother and sister and began beating her. He threatened to kill Popoalaea. She knew her brother was too gentle to protect her from her fierce husband and asking the young man for help would only get him killed. Also, Kakae was greatly feared by the people of the countryside and Popoalaea knew she could not expect help from them. She hoped to hide away from him and perhaps find some way to get away to another island on her own.

With her faithful companion Manona, Popoalaea fled from her husband, traveling underground through lava tubes and hiding in the honeycomb of caves and caverns, making their way to the sea. As they were leaving, Manona snatched up a small kahili, a feathered standard that she could use if it became necessary to prove her lady’s rank. They would need it when her lady found someone who could help them.

Eventually they came to the beach of Papaloa where there was a secret cave that went back into the hills. Big rocks towered overhead and the overhanging trees hid the mouth of the cave from sight. A pool of water enclosed the entrance. To reach the hiding place, the women had to dive into the pool under a jutting ledge, beyond which the cavern opened out into a low roofed room.

To one side, immediately above the water line was a small ledge just big enough to hold the chiefess. On the other side, a smaller, similar ledge made a seat for the maid. They could rest and hide there during the day. Sometimes when her lady’s thoughts became too sad, Manona would wave the kahili slowly back and forth to distract her. Most of the time the kahili lay in a crevice of the wall.

At night the women would come out of the cave to gather food and to search for a way to escape to another island. Soon there were stories among the people of the nearby fishing village of Honokalani about spirits who wandered on the shore at night.

Meanwhile, Kakae was searching for his wife with a number of his men. The longer he searched the angrier he got. Her running away from him seemed to confirm his suspicions of her. If she was not guilty, why had she run?
Kakae heard the stories about the night spirits and was drawn to the area, but he did not have much success finding the women. Finally, very tired of searching, Kakae arrived at the pool in front of the cave where the women were hiding. He was turning away, ready to give up the search, when his eyes were caught by a flash of color in the water.

He recognized the colors of Popoalaea’s kahili reflected by the water as Manona waved it over her mistress. He called his men and diving under the ledge, led them into the cavern. He grabbed his wife while his men seized the maid. The men battered the women to death among the rocks. Blood and brain matter flew everywhere. The rocks trembled and the waters foamed at the death of the innocent women.

The gruesome crime has not been forgotten. The stains of the women’s life-blood still darken the rocks in the cavern and lichen on the cave walls echoes the bits of brain matter. The legend, as recounted by Emma Kalelookalani Omsted, says the gods in their pity for Popoalaea sent down sparkling rainbow stones that make the watery cavern sparkle with a glistening light that echoes the colors of her kahili.

Today, the twisting trail to the cave runs through a tangle of hau trees and is lined with orchids. It is a well-known visitor attraction. But, it is said, on the nights of Ku, when the night is darkest and the moon is thin, the waters of the cave turn red and there is a strange light in the cave. In the spring, when the tragedy occurred, the gathering of the ‘opae ula, red shrimp, makes the stones of the cave turn even redder. Tradition says this is either a sign of forgiveness or the casting out of an evil spirit.

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Standard English: Am I interrupting something?
Braddah-nics: 'Smatter you? Get somethin' mo' bettah fo' do?

Standard English: Put that down before you hurt yourself.
Braddah-nics: Leave 'em befo' you get hurt.

Standard English: He's an old, childhood friend.
Braddah-nics: I know him from my hanabata days.

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Local Grinds

MANGO BREAD

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients well. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 325 degrees F. for one hour. Cool for 20 minutes.

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 Construction of the Puunene Sugar Mill

This is an interesting picture showing the construction of the Puunene Sugar NE11 in 190 1. Plans for construction of a new sugar mill were completed by the Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company (HC & S) in November 1899. HC and S had just been purchased by Alexander and Baldwin. Construction work began on October 12, 1900. The construction engineer in charge was J.N.S. Williams who was subsequently appointed chief engineer of the mill. Construction was completed and actual production at the mill began in late January 1902.

The Puunene Sugar Mill was an immediate success. It was one of the largest and most modern sugar mills at the time. Capacity was soon increased in 1902 by adding two additional rollers. By 1903, between 500 and 600 train cars of 'sugar cane were being cut and brought to the mill each day. In March 1903, the production of sugar was 6,292 tons for that month which was reported to be a world record.

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