Aloha kākou e nā hoa makamaka. Howzit Gang. We happened to be at Kūʻīlioloa Heiau in Waiʻanae the other week when we came upon a rock that had a lot of different types of limu (seaweed) growing on it. The ones I could identify looked like limu kala and limu pālahalaha.
My mind started thinking about all the other limu that was once abundant along our island shorelines, which then lead me to thinking about Native Hawaiian philosophical practices connected to limu.
Philosophical practices explain relationships between people, organisms, and natural phenomena in the environment that were observed, experienced, and then recorded in poetic compositions that were filled with vivid imagery to transfer environmental experience or empirical knowledge from one generation to the next generation.
Here’s a Hawaiian philosophical practice that is specific to limu. This column’s practice describes a ritual using seaweed for protection. We start with a description of the philosophy and end with the featured seaweed’s connection to the practice.
ʻOiʻo: Pronounced “Oy!–oh”
An ʻoiʻo is a procession of ghosts of a departed chief and his retinue, more commonly called huakaʻi pō in stories. Growing up, we were generally told if you happen to come upon a parade of ʻoiʻo you’re not supposed to engage with them, or they will take you with them. As kids, we’d often hear stories told by the uncles or aunties about the ʻoiʻo – which always kept us close to the adults when fishing.
Flash forward to today. While doing some research, I came across a tiny blurb about limu kohu and ʻoiʻo. It said that limu kohu (Asparagopsis taxiformis) was used to keep the ʻoiʻo moving along their pathway without disturbing people. If a person were to unexpectedly encounter the ʻoiʻo along the beach, a sprig of limu kohu was quickly plucked and the following words were uttered as a form of protection:
“Eia koʻu lauʻoio a me ka limu kohu, e hala aʻe ana ia manawa. He kama au na (inoa).” – H. Smith, Kauaʻi, 1911
Paraphrase:
“Here’s my sprig and my seaweed, continue on right now. I am a descendant of (insert the name of an ancestor).”
The word kohu means to “resemble” or have an acceptable similarity to something or someone. It was believed that the ancestor’s name would be recognized and so the person would not be bothered by the passing procession.
Limu kohu, in my opinion, is one of the best edible seaweeds in Hawaiʻi. In the old days, patches were cared for by families and communities so everyone could enjoy eating it. It was gathered, cleaned, and preserved in balls for easy access when needed. Limu kohu has a very distinct crunch and umami flavor. It is often eaten as a relish with a favorite fish and sometimes added to stews.
That’s the Hawaiian philosophical practice for the column. A hui hou kākou.
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