Centuries before there was Lahainaluna red, gold was the sacred color of Lahaina – the color of ‘ilima. The flower was one of two preferred lei of the ali‘i at Moku‘ula, a sacred island within Lahaina and that served as the home of Hawaiian royalty. Thriving across rugged landscapes and coastlines, the rich gold of the ‘ilima flower was coveted for kāhili, malo and ʻahu ʻula. The symbolic color represented Lahaina before the unification of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the establishment of the monarchy. For the Lahaina Community Land Trust, the ‘ilima and its bright gold color is a symbol of Lahaina’s strength and significance of its power throughout the pae ʻāina.

ʻUlu

'Ulu, or breadfruit, holds deep meaning for the Lahaina Community Land Trust, as ʻike kūpuna and a living metaphor for the trust’s vision to shelter Lahaina. A traditional name for Lahaina, Malu 'Ulu o Lele describes the vast canopy of breadfruit that once stretched over 10 square miles. Hālau Lahaina, malu i ka ‘ulu; “Lahaina is like a large house shaded by breadfruit,” one ʻŌlelo Noʻeau states. During the time of our ancestors, ‘ohana constructed house sites at the trunk of each tree – creating a community literally rooted together beneath the canopy’s shade and protection. This living system that nourished and sheltered Lahaina’s people mirrors LCLT's vision: just as the interconnected 'ulu groves provided food and shelter, the trust seeks to grow and stand as a protective canopy that safeguards Lahaina for generations to come.

Plants Featured by Hawaiʻi Land Trust

Koʻoloaʻula

Kooloaula was discovered/rediscovered in the 80s or 90s on Maui at the brink of extinction. It’s a coastal species with beautiful red (and sometimes pink or cream/yellow-colored) flowers that can be used for lei. Personally, it’s my favorite plant to visit when I go to Waihee, where our volunteer (Tom, who’s been volunteering every Friday for over a decade) has planted several. The plant is silvery similar to the pohinahina, so it shimmers and is striking regardless of whether the plant is in bloom. We don’t know too much about Hawaiian uses for kooloaula other than use as lei flower. I’d like to think about the symbology of lei for this plant. Also. it’s a plant that was almost lost, but due to the efforts of many botanists and conservationists, it’s still endangered, but not extinct. You could think about how Hawaii (the real Hawaii) was almost completely lost but due to the passion and tireless work of so many our keiki have more and more access to places that hold space for Hawaii and Hawaiians. HILT is a very small part of that legacy.

Lama

Lama, as many know, means light or enlightenment, and we really like that reference in connecting with our aina-based educational programming. It’s also a hardwood used in building structures for curing sick people and fences to make places sacred – this leads to HILT’s “protection” of places and hints at HILT’s potential new expansion of our mission in which we are centering aina as relevant not just to ecological health, but our peoples’ health. We are already working with JABSOM on a Aina Based Health program. We did recover lama during the archaeobotany work in the Pūpuka pond at Nuʻu.

Loulu

There are 19 different species of loulu with broad diversity among the species. It had nearly disappeared but through efforts from organizations like HILT and others it’s making a small comeback. It once broadly dominated the landscapes we have preserved on Maui. We like it for its diversity, representative of the many different people who have come together to support HILT and our work. Loulu is the word used for “umbrella” and its fronds are used as thatching for hale, providing shelter. The different species are distinctly native to each of the islands, kind of like our preserves on Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island, each one part of the same family but unique. While looking up more information I stumbled across this journal article that found that loulu was a popular plant that Hawaiians chose to plant near their homes. That same article also shared that loulu might have been reserved for only heiau, chiefs, and other sacred structures prior to the abolition of the kapu system (citing Malo, Kamakau, and others). I find that interesting, especially that today, loulu is the current preferred thatching for hale since pili is not an abundant resource.