Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 4, 1 April 2022 — Kou [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kou

<NĀ MEAKANU 'ĀPA'AKUMA O HAWAI'I NEI < ENDEMIC PLANTS OF HAWAI'I r~

(cordia subcordata) By Bobby Camara

Delicate orange pua of kumulō'ou kou ore strung into lei. - Photos: Bobby Camm

Dried kou seed pods could be smoothed ond used A kou tree seedling. to stomp kopo.

Kou, an old name for today s Honolulu Harbor and adjacent downtown area, was where people from everywhere gathered to watch chiefs play games like kōnane and 'ulu maika. . Kou is also the name of a native tree. Kou seed pods 5,000 years old were discovered in Makauwahi cave on Kaua'i in the 1990s, demonstrating that the tree is native to Hawai'i Nei. Kou wood is beautiful and was favored for making 'umeke (bowls, containers). Kou grows quickly and is widely planted in cityscapes. Its ruffled unscented orange pua are easily strung on 'ili hau to fashion cherished lei, while weathered corky pods ean be smoothed and used to stamp kapa. ■