Uluhaimalama
Royal Garden Opened and Beautified with Plants

In accordance with the announcement concerning the time and the day, the place, whose regal name is mentioned above, was opened for the planting of flowering and other plants last Thursday, after nine o’clock. Before that time many people headed to the uplands with plants, some with vehicles and some by hiking.

Planting Began

The National Band was there and just before or a little after nine o’clock they played the tune of “Liliʻuokalani.” It was then that Prince Kawānanakoa, representing the Aliʻi ʻaimoku (ruler) planted a lehua tree from Mōkaulele in the center of the grounds, surrounded by ʻōhā wai and other indigenous plants in a round circle. Below that, Prince Kalanianaʻole planted a lehua ʻāhihi on behalf of the Dowager Queen. After that was done, it was free to all. The place was alive with the weaker sex of our kind of planting this and that; and there were some of the stronger sex to help. It is useless to enumerate all of the flowering plants planted there. There was one spot we admired, a little below the entrance where she [Liliʻuokalani] had already planted to form the name given above. It was beautiful indeed.

The Canvas Lānai

A little way above this planting field, on the upper side of J. Mana’s residence, a canvas topped lānai was erected and it was there that a feast was served. The band played merrily now and again until it was time to eat, at the time the sun reached the zenith or a little after. They continued to entertain until the Queen’s company had eaten. She [Liliʻuokalani] and her sister-in-law [Kapiʻolani] were represented by the Princes. The feast was served three times and everyone ate until he had enough. Some food was also sent to those who were expected but did not come.

The band players also planted and theirs were all the indigenous ones which were symbolic, having a significance recognized by kahunas (ʻano papa kahuna). Through the graciousness and kindness of some, we have received a list with explanations.

The Symbolic Plants

These were actually with true kahuna practices. Here is the list.

Hala Polapola (Tahitian pandanus)—“Here is your favorite lei, O heavenly one. Wear the fruit of Hala-o-Mapuana, sweet to inhale; a cool fragrance to breathe.”

Kou—“A house of kou wood for you, O heavenly one; kou bowls and dishes. Here it grows in Uluhaimalama, living [tree] for the people.

Kukui—“God’s word is a kukui (light), a light for your government, O heavenly one; Your light burning at noonday, the light of Iwikauikaua, ancestor of Liliʻuokalani, the sacred one, the Queen of the Hawaiian Islands.

ʻAwa plant (ʻawa lau)—“May righteousness grow and leaf for your people, your government and your throne, O heavenly one, the righteousness of the living God.”

Pāpaʻa sugar cane—“May the hands, who disturbed the justice of your rule, be burned black (pāpaʻa), O heavenly one. May the feet, used in walking, be burned and may the eyes, used in seeing, be also burned.”

Kea sugar cane—“May your kingdom grow as the kea sugar cane, O heavenly one. Plant your feet firmly, for here is your clump of kea sugar cane.” [Note: ulu kō kea or grow as a kea (white) sugar cane is to grow gray with age.]

ʻUhaloa—“They may seek all of the benefits you produced, O heavenly one, and find them inexhaustible. Here is Hawaiʻi who seeks the distant places (Hawaiʻi ʻimi loa). Here is an ʻuhaloa plant to signify that all of the benefits of your reign have been surveyed and he kingdom is yours and your heirs.”

Pōpolo—“The pōpolo of Kāne, planted above, fruited above and ripened above. Here it grows in Uluhaimalama.”

Hawaiian ʻape—“Here is the ʻape to irritate the moving lips that utter unkindness, those of the men and women who rebelled against your righteousness O heavenly one. Look and see!”

Pilimai sugar cane—“May the love of your people cling fast (pili paʻa) to you, O heavenly one. Yours today, yours tomorrow, yours always, May the benefits remain fast to your land, people, and throne; yours for all time. Amen.”

Hawaiian bananas—“Yes, I have visited all the beauty spots of the world, From the cold northern zone to the pleasant southern zone, I have glanced at the mountain tops from their shores, Have seen their waterfalls, their tranquil streams, True, they have revealed their various beauties, But there is one place greater, to my estimation, Hawaiʻi is the greatest of all.” [By Kalākaua, after his world tour in 1881].

Here they grow in Uluhaimalama, the Hawaiian bananas, planted on the day of Hua, to be fruitful for your kingdom, for your people, your throne, O heavenly one. May benefits be borne for the body and the spirit. The winter with its stormy months are gone. Here are the torches burning at noonday, the torches of Iwikauikaua, ancestor of Liliʻuokalani, Queen of the Hawaiian Islands, lighted today and for endless time, for her and her heirs. Amen.

Miscellaneous

After one o’clock, the feasting was over. In the later hours the flower planting women went home with the public. On the side of the road encircling Punchbowl sat some spectators.

Some women were attractive with their hats and grayish blue ribbons printed with the name of the garden in gold letters. They looked very nice indeed. Many such ribbons are being seen today.

We thought that the night and the day, too, belonged to Mōhalu but we learned that both night and day belonged to Hua. It seems that the fruiting plants will not fail to bear fruit, the pulp in pulpy ones and the beauty in beautiful ones. They shall not be Mōhalu (appear full) and be hollow inside for it (Mōhalu) is gone with all of its unlucky aspects.

Solomon Hiram planted a black rock, to commemorate this “stone eating” period, in which he and his fellow band players eat “the wondrous food of the land.” It is sufficient for the man! [Note: a song was written at the time of the overthrow, declaring that the stones, wondrous food of the land was sufficient and the author and her friends would not sign to support the new government].

This flower garden is up in Pauoa, above the stream, below the Chinese cemetery and in front of J. Mana’s residence but a little way above it. This land belongs to the ruler herself.

Among those we saw planting there, besides the two Princes, were Mrs. Kahalewai Cummins, Mrs. Aima Nawahi, Mrs. Linahu Nowlein, Mrs. Mary Dickson, Mrs. Lilia Aholo, Mrs. Minerva Fernandez, Mrs. Kaniu Lumaheihei, Mrs. T. B. Waka, Mrs. Evelyn Wilson, Mrs. Nore, Rev. S. Kaili and his wife, Miss Eva Parker, Miss Helen Parker, Miss Lizzie Doiron, and Miss Hanaia Kanahele. There were innumerable others that recalled the sayings “Forty thousand in Kailua and four hundred thousand at Kāneʻohe (Kini Kailua, mano Kāneʻohe) for “Kohala was crowded to the points with men” (Lēʻī Kohala i ka nuku ʻo nā kānaka).

(Makaainana, 10/15/1894, p. 1)