Hawaii’s Back Yard Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi

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Hana knows how to party with its popular East Maui Taro Festival

No town throws a party like Hana! On the last weekend in April, annually, the small, close-knit Maui community hosts the East Maui Taro Festival, a down-home bash that draws some 3,000 visitors and residents from all over the island.

East Maui Taro Festival Place: Hana Ballpark, Hana, Maui Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 28; see below for hours on April 29 Admission: Free Call: (808) 264-1553 E-mail: info@tarofestival.org Web site: www.tarofestival.org Note: The Taro Pancake Breakfast takes place from 7 to 10:30 a.m. April 29 at Hana Ballpark. On the menu: pancakes, rice, meat, eggs, coffee and juice. Cost is $7.50 for adults and $5 for children under 12. The excursion to Piilani Heiau and Kahanu Garden follows at 11 a.m. The visit to Kapahu Living Farm is at 1 p.m. Participants must drive themselves to these locations. Sign up at the festival's T-shirt booth on the 28th, or call Scott Crawford at 248-8673 or Tweetie Lind at 248-8974.

For the 15th annual celebration this year, Aunty Kuulei Haina will once again be selling her lau hala bracelets, and Uncle Pohaku Lee will be displaying his hand-carved coffee wood walking sticks.

The Domen family, proprietors of Kaupo Store, will be whipping up "Kaupoccino" coffee drinks (look out, Starbucks), and crowds will be lining up at the Kawaiaeas' booth to sample their oh-so-ono taro seafood chowder.

Hula troupes and music groups largely comprising East Maui friends and family will be providing entertainment.

"It's a fun event with a serious theme," said Judy Kinser, the event's volunteer director. "The purpose of the festival is to increase public awareness about taro and to promote the production of taro in Hawaii."

East Maui, which stretches from Keanae to Kaupo, isn't the largest area in the state that grows taro. Kauai's Hanalei Valley holds that distinction, accounting for 73 percent of the 4.5 million pounds harvested last year.

"But, as in the old days, taro has become a binding force in our community," said Kinser. "To understand and appreciate the Hawaiian culture, you must first understand and appreciate taro."

The Kumulipo, the sacred Hawaiian creation chant, tells of the eldest child of the gods Wakea and Hoohokukalani, a stillborn son. They named him Haloanaka, literally "long trembling stalk," and buried him near their house.

A taro plant soon sprang from the grave. When their second son was born strong and healthy, Wakea and Hoohokukalani named him Haloa, meaning "everlasting breath."

The Hawaiians believe this younger brother of taro was the progenitor of the human race, and because of that, taro holds special mana, or spiritual significance.

CENTURIES AGO the Hawaiians consumed up to five pounds of poi per day. They also valued taro for its medicinal properties. Taro is a major source of vitamins A, B and C; calcium; carbohydrates; iron; phosphorus; thiamine; and riboflavin. Easily digestible, it is a good source of nutrition for babies, seniors and those who are sick or have allergies.

For example, they placed the stem on cuts to stop bleeding and on insect bites to alleviate itching and swelling. Raw corm pulp mixed with sugar cane juice and noni (Indian mulberry) made an effective laxative. Taro juice reduced fever, and a poultice of leaves mashed with sea salt was a common treatment for infections.

The ancients believed poi personified Haloa, and revered it as much as the taro plant itself. In olden times, when the umeke (poi bowl) was uncovered at mealtime, it was understood there was to be no quarreling, haggling or discussion of serious business, for that would offend Haloa.

Everyone gathered around the umeke. One at a time, each person partook of the poi in a ritual that cemented their relationship and honored their ancestors.

The Hawaiians' concept of ohana (family) is inextricably tied to taro; the word is derived from oha, the small buds that shoot from the taro's corm. After the mature corm is harvested, the huli (stalk) and oha on top of the corm are replanted, yielding a new crop of taro.

Taro grows as a family does, generation after generation descended from a single "root." In fact, ohana literally translates as "all from the shoots."

Young and old enjoy the spirit of ohana that the East Maui Taro Festival inspires. Kupuna (elders) from Hana will be on hand for "talk story" sessions about Hawaiian traditions.

The learning will continue at the Information Tent where booths manned by 20 nonprofit organizations such as Hana Cultural Center, Hawaii Ecosystems at Risk, Maui County Recycling, the East Maui Watershed Partnership and the Maui Invasive Species Committee will be located.

Entertainment will include hula performances, a chorus from Hana Middle School Na Mele (Song) Group and the Barefoot Natives, the popular singing duo of Willie K and Eric Gilliom.

Shoppers can view a wide array of locally made arts and crafts, including colorful leis, hala (pandanus) seed jewelry, shell and beach glass jewelry, soy-based candles imbued with floral scents and canvas tote bags adorned with pretty hand-painted tropical designs.

Food booths will tempt attendees with local favorites including taro burgers, poi mochi and kulolo (pudding made of baked or steamed grated taro and coconut cream). Succulent kalua pig and turkey cooked in an imu (underground oven) will be sold as a fundraiser for Hale Hulu Mamo Seniors Center in Hana.

IN ADDITION TO fresh Maui-grown produce and flowers, the big attraction in the Agricultural Tent will be poi-pounding demonstrations and tastings sponsored by the Lind family. On April 29 they also are organizing free 90-minute tours to Piilani Heiau and Kahanu Garden in Hana and their Kapahu Living Farm in Kipahulu, nine miles away. There, on two acres, they tend 20 ancient taro loi (patches) that they've painstakingly restored.

Although taro production statewide was up in 2006, it's still not enough to meet the demand. According to Kinser, taro is in short supply for many reasons.

"Growing it requires a lot of land, water and hard work," she said. "Pests are a problem, and bad weather can destroy entire crops. The East Maui Taro Festival helps spread the word about taro's situation, which will help secure its future."

Natives of Washington, D.C., Kinser and her husband, Sky, moved to Kipahulu in 1988, lured by a passion for farming and the rural life.

"Sky found Kipahulu when he was working for an air taxi company in Honolulu in the early 1970s," she recalled. "When he saw it from the airplane window, he thought it was paradise. We were fortunate to be able to purchase 128 acres of beautiful forest preserve land and another 10 acres of agriculture land there."

The couple raised three sons in Kipahulu, making a living in part by growing bananas, papayas, citrus fruits, avocados, lettuce, beets, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, rosemary, oregano and other herbs and vegetables.