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The Tree of Light

The Candlenut Tree Lights up Hawaii’s Forests. 

The kukui tree has a long history in Hawaiian culture.  In ancient times kukui nut kernels were strung onto the stem of a coconut tree and burned for light.  The process of establishing the duration of minutes as the kernels burned one by one eventually led to a system for measuring time.  The oil of the kukui seed was also used as fuel for candles and torches. 

The trunk of the kukui tree was often used to make small fishing canoes, and the clear oil of the kukui nut was applied to canoes and surfboards to make them waterproof.   The oil also served as a varnish for hand-carved wooden bowls.  Fishermen’s nets could be preserved with a coating of kukui nut oil.   Early Hawaiians used kukui nut oil extensively in soaps, emolients and hair tonics.  Kukui leaves, when boiled, made a poultice for headaches, fevers or swollen joints.   The inner bark of the kukui tree made a fine reddish-brown dye for kapa.  And lei made from kukui nuts were once worn exclusively by Hawaiian chiefs and kings.

Although the kukui tree was brought to Hawaii with Polynesian settlers from Southeast Asia, its significance to the daily lives of early Hawaiians led to its being declared the official state tree in 1959, replacing the coconut palm.  Also called the candlenut tree, it grows in abundance in Hawaii’s valleys, wet gulches and lower mountain slopes where it can reach up to 80 feet tall.  The kukui is distinguishable by its pale green leaves, which have a silvery coating underneath that make the tree look lighter colored.  Clusters of small white flowers form at the ends of the branches.  The fruit that is produced, called a drupe, ranges from one-and-a-half to two inches in diameter.  As the fruit falls to the ground, its green casing turns greyish and eventually softens.  Underneath is a thin white parchment that, as the inner seed matures, turns black and hard.

Hawaiians discovered early that kukui kernels, when removed from their tough shells, could be lightly roasted in order for an oil to be pressed out.  The highly absorbant oil contains essential fatty acids and other nourishing elements that are excellent for the skin.  Kukui nut oil is still widely used to treat a variety of skin complaints.  Roasted kukui nut kernels are also pounded into a paste to make a popular Hawaiian relish called ‘inamona, traditionally a key ingredient in poke.   It is a long established custom to greet Island visitors with lei made of kukui nuts that have been polished with kukui nut oil.  Kukui lei are often worn at important ceremonies, and Hawaiian dignitaries and government officials are commonly seen with a kukui lei.       

Numerous Hawaiian legends and proverbs are associated with the kukui tree.  It is considered an embodiment of the pig god Kamapuaa, and, supposedly, you can detect the image of a pig within a kukui leaf if you look at it just right.  An old saying goes, “When the kukui nut is spat in the water, the sea is smooth,” referring to a chewed kukui nut’s ability to enhance water visibility for fishermen.   The kukui tree symbolizes hope, peace and renewal, and the word kukui translates to the Hawaiian word light.