Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 11, 1 November 1997 — NATIVE HAWAIIAN PLANTS [ARTICLE]

NATIVE HAWAIIAN PLANTS

The recent article on the beautiful Hawaiian Studies building and dedicated people who made it a reality was informative and heartwarming. But I was saddened to see 'ulu, kukui, lā'ī, niu and laua'e referred to as "native flora." Native plants are those the akua brought to Hawai'i (indigenous) and those they created solely to decorate ka pae 'āina Hawai'i (endemic). By contrast, 'ulu, kukui, lā'ī and niu were Polynesian introductions, brought here by our voyaging ancestors. It is especially disturbing to see laua'e, introduced in 1910, called a native plant. The battle between laua'e and native ferns is a metaphor for the battle between native people and foreigners for space on the 'āina. The 'ēkaha are part of the Kumulipo, the history of our relationship to ke akua and ka pae 'āina Hawai'i. How will we ever preserve the relationship if we promote laua'e that threaten lā'au Hawai'i, one of the foundations of the Kumulipo? 'llima Morrison Mālamalama, Kailua