Endemic Nettle
Olona o Hawai‘i

Champion Fiber

When the Polynesians arrived in Hawai‘i they found one of the world's strongest fiber plants, olona. A genus found only in Hawai‘i , olona grows high in the mountain rainforests. Early Hawaiians probably recognized its close relationship to more familiar aho (cordage) plants from central Polynesia, such as mamaki.

The lengthy fibers of olona great tensile (lengthwise) strength. Olona is resistant to water and ideal for making nets, fishing lines, and sail rigs. But despite its great strength, olona is not a particularly flexible fiber and thus less desirable for lashing. Builders of Hawai`iloa wanted to use olona for the rigging, but today the plant is much too rare to supply the large quantities of aho needed for the project.

Ua niki`i `ia i ke olona o Honopu.
Tied fast with the olona cord of Honopu.
Said of a situation that is made fast.
(`Olelo No`eau #2833; Pukui 1983)
Hibiscus Bark
Back Gallery of the Hawai`iloa Exhibit
Back to the Hawai'iloa page
Back to the Past Exhibits Page
Copyright © 1995, by Bishop Museum. All rights reserved. All media are for the personal use of students, scholars and the public. Any commercial use or publication of them is strictly prohibited.
If you have any comments/suggestions for the documents on this server, send e-mail to webmaster@bishopmuseum.org

BISHOP MUSEUM
The State Museum of Natural and Cultural History
For Museum Information, call (808) 847-3511

Bishop Museum 1525 Bernice Street Honolulu Hawai‘i 96817-0916 USA
Revised on August 29, 1996 by mcb