Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 5, 1 May 2015 — Channeling our ancestors [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Channeling our ancestors

In early Hawai'i, fish was the favorite protein food and this preference continued into the 20th century. Hawaiians preferred tasty reef fish to deep-sea varieties. Fish flavors developed from feeding on an abundance and variety of tasty, fragrant limu. Reef fish were readily available and plentiful. Fishing was a daily endeavor for both kāne and wāhine. Back then, the kāne did most of the fishing however, the wāhine gathered seaweed, 'opihi, sea urchins and caught smaller fish and he'e on the reefs. Hawaiians perfectedreef-fish-ing methods using traps, nets, hooks and barbs, in addition to deep-water fishing methods mentioned in the

menehune fishermen mo'olelo. In addition, extensive and numerous shoreline fishponds - unique to Hawai'i, insured availability of certain prized fish, mostly for the ali'i. Regarding fishponds, John F.G. Stokes, a source in Sites of O'ahu, credits Queen Kalaimanuia of O'ahu, with building three fishponds in the Pearl Harbor area. These ponds were Kapa'akea in Waimalu, and Opu and Paaiau in Kalauao. And, her son, Ka'ihikapu, constructed two additional ponds in Moanalua. Stokes goes on to say "the rearing of animals for food, denotes a higher civilization than hunting of the same," and demonstrates an understanding of the economics of supply and demand. (Sites of O'ahu, 1979, p. 47) Our Hawaiian ancestors ate simply of a few basic foods that provided all the nutrients required for their heahh and growth. Kalo,

sweet potatoes and yams were the basic starchy foods providing most of the calories, vitamins and minerals needed for their daily high-energy requirements. And, the leaves and stems, as well as those of a few fems, herbal plants and seaweed, provided additional vitamins and minerals needed for excellent heahh. Shellfish and other seafood, as well as an occasional large bird or ehieken, were sources of protein, fat, additional minerals, vitamins and calories. Pigs and dog were reserved for ceremonies and feasts. Food was steam-cooked in an imu, however, broiling and steaming over open coals was also done. Fish was enjoyed in its raw state, as well. Flavoring eame from seaweed and a little salt added at the table, as individuals chose. According to Isabella Abbott, UH ethnobotany professor, limu was served in generous portions, like current vegetable or salad

portions. However, many limu beds have been damaged or destroyed by "civilization" and far less limu comes from Hawai'i's reefs today. Thus, limu is now served in tiny amounts . . . like a condiment. Our ancestors' dietary choices, lifestyle, culture and belief systems provided for excellent growth and healthy purposeful lives. Estimates of Hawaiian stature (height) eome mainly from descriptions recorded by Hawai'i's first visitors, who were of smaller stature than our ancestors. (Captain Cook's height was reportedly about 5 feet 2 inches.) Studies of 1,171 early Hawaiian skeletal remains removed from Mōkapu, were conducted by University of Kentucky scientists, in 1951. These scientists estimated the stature (height) of the early Mōkapu Hawaiian men, to average 5 feet 7 inches, ranging between 5 feet to 6 feet. Mōkapu women averaged5 feet 3 inches in height, ranging between 4 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 9 inches in height. The measurements were compared with other ancient popu-

lations: Greeks, Kentucky Indians, Australians and Eskimos. Compared to others, Mōkapuans "had fairly long arms, moderately narrow shoulders, and very narrow hips. . . . Overall, they would be judged slender for their height in spite of heavy musculature." Additional descriptions remark on the "extraordinary muscle markings" on the skeleton indicating muscle masses in the upper body to be of "vast size." The scientists decided that "the native diet, kapu restrictions and all, was as adequate for growth as the diet of their modern descendants - a mixture of old Hawaiian and modern American foods." ( Early Hm'aiians, C.E. Snow, 1974, p. 53-55) Remembering and reflecting on the traditional diet and stature of our Hawaiian ancestors provides a picture of Hawaiians in healthier times ... as we develop awareness of regaining and restoring Hawaiian heahh today. And, it is possible to look into a mirror and estimate how close we eome to that picture of our healthier ancestors. ■

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