Aloha mai kakou,
Just thought it would be interesting to start a discussion on ipu in general but also the art of ipu pawehe. I have been fascinated at the art and process of working with the dyes, and traditional pawehe motifs and have found it is much more than an art, but it is a way of life as with everything else in our culture. If one doesn't plant the ipu the art cannot be perpetuated. So I'd love to hear mana`o from others on ipu cultivation or art or even just mana`o in general on the ipu.
The mo`olelo of the ipu at Kamaoa was told to me:
A couple who lived in Kamaoa were with child. The woman was at the end of her pregnancy but passed away. Her husband took her body to a cave near the ocean and returned home to grieve. One night her spirit came to him in a dream and said the she was sad that she left so soon and really loved him but was wondering why someone was thumping and pinching her `opu. The man awoke the next morn and set off to check on her burial area. When he reached there, he noticed an ipu vine growing out from the woman's piko. He followed the ipu vine over 7 districts where it ended with one formed gourd on it. A fisherman who lived at the house it stopped at was pinching and thumping on the ipu to make sure it was ready and right when he went to pick it, the womans husband said, "kali, that is my ipu" the fisherman said, "no" I pinched it and thumped it everyday to make sure it is ready. The man took the fisherman to his wife's burial cave and the fisherman agreed that he should have the gourd. The man took the gourd home and dried it out and opened it. In it were just two seeds. These seeds formed into twin baby girls. The people of of this area believe they are descended from these to two girls who became fierce warriors of the area.
It is interesting that the focus today is mostly on the Taro (and rightfully so, no gmo) but if we looked at everything our people grew to sustain themselves and looked apon them as they were our family once more, maybe we might find a spirituality that is beyond the art of gourds.
Here is a chant for cultivating the ipu.
He ipu nui!
O hiki ku mauna!
O hiki kua!
Nui maoli keia ipu!
One year we had students chant this to the vine and it yielded many many ipu of which were used to revive the art of ipu pawehe.
Mahalo,
Momi
Mahalo for sharing the mo'olelo of the ipu,I myself have been working withe ipu for about seven years now here in mainland and enjoy it a great deal.I also grew them for a couple years,but since had to move to the inner city,I used to live on an acre and a half along the river.So now with my limited space can not grow.
One thing about people who live in the mainland is they can grow ipu. In Hawai`i it's not easy to grow perfect ones since the introduction of the fruitfly. but we still try. lol~
Good job on doing ipu work. I'm noticing more kanaka `oiwi who do ipu and I think it is great. :)
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One thing about people who live in the mainland is they can grow ipu. In Hawai`i it's not easy to grow perfect ones since the introduction of the fruitfly. but we still try. lol~
Good job on doing ipu work. I'm noticing more kanaka `oiwi who do ipu and I think it is great. :)