Besides being a tasty food, other parts of ‘ulu are also useful. ‘Ulu wood was traditionally used for making pahu (drums), papa he‘e nalu (surfboards), and papa ku‘i ‘ai (poi pounding boards). Medicinally, a remedy to treat koko‘ino (bad blood) was made with ‘ulu, and the sticky latex was used as glue to caulk canoes and to catch birds. Yellow, tan and brown kapa dyes can be made from the male inflorescence of ‘ulu, which in modern times can be burned as a mosquito repellent. The rich brown leaf sheaths are attractive for lei.

We will have a variety of cultural demonstrations, games, and live Hawaiian music at the September 4 event. The schedule of activities will appear here when finalized; please check back for updates.