Don’t Neglect the Planting of Kalo
It is to you, O Hawaiians, who we strongly encourage in regard to this question about kalo here forward, for large kalo-growing lands here in Honolulu will be dried out and put an end to by those who own them. Should those lands where kalo is being grown today truly be left to dry out, by our estimation, nearly 300 acres of kalo lands will be lost here in Honolulu, or perhaps four hundred or more acres of kalo lands will not be planted anymore. Therefore, to make up for this lost acreage, it is for all of you people outside of Honolulu to plant dry-land taro in fields and small patches, or in large loi where taro can constantly be cultivated.
If you have an abundance of kalo, then feed the sows, the hens, the turkeys, the ducks, and animals from which a person who plants a lot of taro can benefit; for you can eat the kalo, and the animals can eat the stalks [haha kalo], the leaves [luau], the watery residue from poi making [kale ai]; all these things are of great help to the farmer of kalo. Therefore, O Hawaiians, don’t be weary to grow kalo, and don’t neglect this lively endeavor on the land.
(Kuokoa Home Rula, 8/18/1911, p. 2)
Kuokoa Home Rula, Buke IX, Helu 33, Aoao 2. Augate 18, 1911.
Filed under: Foreign Animals, Kalo, Poi, Traditional Animals, Traditional Plants
