Hawaiian native umeke (poi plate), 18th century, shallow koa wood of typical form and with 4 indigenous pewa (repairs of butterfly form)
Size: 9 in diameter in
P19871
Native to Hawaii and highly revered, Koa wood is legendary for its varied grain pattern and deep rich colour. The word “koa” means “warrior” in Hawaiian; the wood became synonymous with the warriors of King Kamehameha the Great as they used it for their canoes and weapons.So highly regarded was the wood that it was ‘kapu’ (prohibited) for anyone to possess it except the Hawaiian monarchs and Ali’i royalty class. However, after the great king’s death his family abandoned the kapu system allowing all Hawaiians to possess the wood. The prolific wood became used for every day aspects of early Hawaiian life. Koa was used for cutting and carving instruments for daily living, and food was served in carved out koa bowls called ‘umeke’. The first surfboards were made of koa, as were outrigger canoes and later the settlers introduced the small stringed ‘ukelele’ musical instrument which was almost always made with koa wood.
As Hawaii was developed during the 19th century, large tracts of koa forests were eliminated to make way for grazing cattle. Other livestock introduced to Hawaii, including pigs and goats, would graze on young koa seedlings before they had a chance to mature. Today koa continues to grow on all Hawaiian islands and the rich volcanic soil yields particularly dark and red wood. The most beautiful koa wood, comprising only 10%, has a wavy, fluttering cross-grain pattern called ‘curly’ and is still highly prized . There are strict regulations about the harvesting from only dead and fallen trees and in reforesting koa for future generations.