Why ghosts gather at breadfruit trees
By Chelsie Vandaveer
August 18, 2003
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Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg) has an unusual trait. The fruiting branches die back after the fruit has ripened and is gone. Usually ants move into the dead branches; eventually the branches fall. The breadfruit, 'ulu, was important for both food and materials (lumber, cloth). The tree is wrapped in legends and traditions.
According to Canoe Plants of Ancient Hawai'i, "'ulu fruit is the symbol of the creation, and of the generosity of a loving and abundantly providing creator." The generosity was handed down to the next generation;
at the birth of a keiki 'o ka 'aina, "a child of the land", an 'ulu tree was planted to provide food for the lifetime of that child. (Canoe Plants of Ancient Hawai'i)
If a person lived a life with family, friends, and property, then at death he or she would join the Ao-Aumakua*, the ghost-gods or ancestor spirits. They remained "near their old home as helpful protectors of the family to which they belonged, and were worshipped by the family." The family provided for their ancestors; offerings of food were left on small altars of white coral.
But if one died alone, friendless and without property, he or she joined the Ao-Kuewa, the homeless and desolate spirits. A Kuewa roamed the forests and wild places and survived eating insects and spiders. At night, all the ghosts gather about the 'ulu.
The Kuewa's hope lay in the 'Ulu-o-lei-walo, "the quietly calling breadfruit tree", seeking an Aumakua. Perhaps the Aumakua was a grandparent and would help the Kuewa join the Ao-o-Milu, "the souls of the departed...who had performed all tasks, passed all barriers, and found their proper place in the land of the king of ghosts." The 'ulu's dead and rotten branches belong to the spirits. Ao-Kuewa circle around breadfruit trees and try to jump into the limbs.
Ao-Aumakua could leap from dead branches and land in the underworld. But Ao-Kuewa had to wait until the limbs broke and dropped them into the land of Milu, king of ghosts. ("Homeless and Desolate Ghosts", Hawaiian Legends of Ghosts and Ghost-Gods, collected and translated William D. Westervelt, Ellis Press, 1916, posted on Sacred Texts)
*The prefix Ao-, as I understand it, refers to a group and therefore makes the name plural.
Sacred Texts has a complete section on the religion, myths, and legends of the peoples of the Pacific Ocean. To read more of these fascinating stories, click on the link:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/pac/index.htm
Links on the page will take you to specific areas of interest.
Plant Series: | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 |
History Series: | 1 | | 2 | | 3 |
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg Plant of the Week - August 11, 2003
What is 'ulu? Herbal Folklore - August 11, 2003
What was William's mission? Plants that Changed History - August 12, 2003
How are breadfruit propagated? Weird Plants - August 14, 2003
Who was Parkinson? What's in a Name? - August 15, 2003
Why ghosts gather at breadfruit trees Herbal Folklore - August 18, 2003
Paradise, breadfruit, and mutiny Plants that Changed History - August 19, 2003
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Previously known only from fossil records, it was presumed extinct until a single tree was found in the Wollemi National Park, Australia, in 1994. Subsequent research discovered 100 adult trees that have survived in a single canyon in this wild and rugged area.
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