The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-08-15
MOANALUA

By J. w. Girvin.

evidently the water does corrie down
in great volume at times as we judged
from the boulderS in the creek bed,
but the paved way prevented injury to
the road. Here and there we noticed
the great size. the mimosa, elsewhere
a shrub, will grow when sheltered.
Now the beautiful silvery-leayed kukui
or candlenut begins to fill the small
ravines which open into the valley. n
the olden time the kernels were thread
ed on the midriff of palm leaves and
used for torches, and were always used
as condiment with food. BY the way,
many years ago l was told that the
kukui of Moanalua had piquancy Pc
culiar to the valley which caused them
to be sought for from long distances.
This I told my Missourian and allowed
him to eat a few. When I thought he
had had enough / told him of their
drastic cathartic. and emetic proper
ties. He said they were very good
and reminded him Of some nut at home
of which he could not recall the name"
He will recall these,
A RESTFUL MOUNTAIN RETREAT
Now we passed a house sheltered by
a huge clump of hau, whose lanai
ing spot TO retire to and enjoy the
dolce far niente which. good novel
and a lovely vista affords. Here we
noticed by the roadside a trough fill
ed with salt, at which the cattle in
passing could get lick, so necessary
for their welfare. It was merely one
of the thoughtful which we no.
ticed. We noted the good fences along
the roadway TO protect the underbrush
from the cattle. the loss of which has
the destruction of SO many of our
fine forests. Miles of well-kept road
excited our admiration
THE MOUNTAIN APPLE.
Turning one of the bends my COM
panion stopped me saying, "Oh, here!.
Yes I said, that is the name of it,
He looked in amazetnent at tree
filled with brilliant-colored mountain
apples, called by us ohia. The pecu-
liar position of the beautiful fruit on
the tree was remarked by him. as it
grows on the trunk or on the main
branches and never hangs pendulously
from the ends of twigs as almost all
fruit does. We gathered all we wanted
and proceeded up the valley, eating the
luscious and acceptable apple, finding
that the trees became more plentiful
at every turn and that the ground was
covered with decayed fruit. Here the
great gnarled trunks of>the ohias show
ed them to be very old, while myriads
of young trees strove to rear their
heads to the sunlight. Forests of ku-
kuis disputed with the ohias for the
supremacy at times, all of them being
covered with some clamboring para
site vine which created a dense shade. |
vESTIGES OF HABITATION.
Here and there breadfruit, gnarIed |
and crooked, stood out apparently |
to show where home or group of huts |
had been in ancient times, for it is |
one of the trees which does not trans !
port itself without the aid of man. |
These trees are silent witnesses to the |
fact that the valley was densely in |
habited in ancient times, while perhaps |
the innumerable caves along either of |
he precipitous sides may contain the |
of the inhabitants. Today |
there is not house in the valley, save
TWO mountain retreats of the owner,
which are placed on site1y eminences
where fine vistas of the lower val
ey are to be had. Where have the
natives gone? Not vestige Of habita-
ion remains save the lone breadfruit
Ind occasionally the paved plot where
he hut stood On every alternating
ongue of land which fits into a ravine
IN the opposite side stood grass huts. !.
One has told me that he has seen ca
noes carried down the valley which
lad been hewn from huge koa trees.
That he has heard the kukuku of the
apa beaten as she pounded out cloth
fla La,r rs I7fr 10
That he and others have
gathered the olona, touchardia latifolia, T
which was the fiber from which they
made their fishlines and nets by twist
ng it on the thigh.
WAIOLA.
Presently we came to a point where