Sex, Nature & Hawaiian Plant Medicine
Author: Lei Wann
Illustrated by Kauka’ohulani Morton
Core to the values of The Sex Ed is our relationship to Mother Earth.
Elevating our consciousnesses means being connected to the world around us, both in humanity and in nature. In this essay, Lei Wann, Director of Limahuli Garden and Preserve on the island of Kauai in Hawaii—one of the five National Tropical Botanical Gardens in the world—helps us honor our connection to the Earth and explore the mythology of nature and sexuality.
“Āina,” also known as “land” or “that which feeds,” is an extension of us, the Hawaiian people. Āina is a family relative, part of who we are. The boundaries that exist in most Western cultures between humans and land, or humans and elements, do not exist in Hawaiian culture—they are part of us; we descend from them. Therefore, we care for ‘āina as you would a human relative or elder. If anything, humans take a back seat to our other divine relatives. There is a famous saying in our culture which embraces our perspective on land, passed down from generation to generation; in it’s oral form, “He ali’i ka ‘āina, he kauwā ke kanaka,” or “The land is the chief, and the human is nothing but it’s servant.”
This humble relationship between humans and ‘āina is derived from our great ancestors, through Papahānaumoku, otherwise known as Haumea (earth mother) and Wakea (the sky father).
We were made of them. They are the original ancestress and ancestor of our Hawaiian people.
Haumea was said to come from the mythical land of Nu’umealani. Nu’umealani is said to be in a place called Kahiki or Hawai’iki, some often say this is near Tahiti in French Polynesia. Haumea is the goddess of fertility, reproduction, procreation, birthing, rebirthing, female maturity, prosperity, vegetation, beauty, healing, and overall health. She is a goddess of spiritual form and took many physical forms. From her powerful and sacred thighs, the Hawaiian islands would be formed; Pele (the Fire Goddess) and her siblings would be created; Haloa, the taro plant, would descend and feed our people; the first human life forms would be created; food would be made in perpetuity; multitudes of generations of physical and godlike beings would be formed; and our culture and traditions would be established. Haumea is also perpetuated in plant forms. Haumea can be found in the ‘ulu or breadfruit, certain species of banana, the koali or morning glory, and the ‘akala or Native Hawaiian raspberry.
In order to do all of this and to take all these forms, Haumea is very sexually active in Hawaiian history! She has a lot of sex with various people and relations, assuming the role of many women (both in spiritual and human form). In some cultures or societies, Haumea may be seen as very promiscuous and her roles may even be frowned upon. However, in our Hawaiian culture, her sexual acts are praised.
In our traditional Hawaiian culture, sexuality is often praised through song, chant, and our metaphoric oral language. There is no sex shaming in the practice.
Mele ma’i, or songs to honor the genitals, were often composed for chiefs and honorable ones to praise the act of sex and the power of sexuality.
In mele ma’i, poetic reference or poetic names for the genitals can be made. A mele ma’i composed for chiefess Ke’elikolani, a high ranked chiefess in the Hawaiian Island from 1826 to 1883, names her vagina in honor as Peo. Peo is a metaphorical name for the vagina. Anytime you hear this name in a song or chant, you know it is a reference to Ke’elikolani, the high chiefess. In many mele or songs, the ehukai, or sea spray that comes from the ocean, is a metaphor for semen. Other songs or chants use flowers as references to the vagina. If a song references sewing or stringing a flower lei together, it is a mere boost of the accomplishment of sex between a male and female. Scientifically, flowers on plants resemble the same organs. Our Hawaiian people were very in tune to what we know as modern science, and would often acknowledge it in poetic or metaphorical ways. In post-colonial times, horse riding was used as a poetic way of referencing sex between partners or the way one would “ride”. Surf riding was another way of expressing one's skill in love-making. For example, “Hawawa ka he’e nalu haki ka papa” translates as, “If the surfer is unskilled, the board is broken”. This is a wise saying mocking one’s longevity in love-making.
In traditional Hawaiian culture, sexuality is not stigmatized, but rather celebrated as a part of who we are and how we came to be. It is how life continues. Our culture recognizes that without it, life does not exist. We will often relate the experience of sex and sexuality to nature. One example may be found in the hala, or pandanus, tree. This tree’s pyramidal tract, or stilt root system, mimics the penis, therefore this part of the tree is called the ule, or penis. The root, or penis, draws down from the tree and penetrates the earth, making the tree stronger in stature.
The flower that grows on the hala tree, known as hinano, or the pandanus flower, has been traditionally used as an aphrodisiac. The hinano flower symbolizes love and desire, and the powder from this flower can be dusted on one’s body to entice a love interest or put into a tea to drink as a “love potion”. On the island of Hawai’i, in a district known as Puna, walls on houses were sometimes made with mats of the hinano flower. In the hala groves of Puna, hinano flowers lined the sides of houses and were so thick that they looked as though they were the walls on houses. As someone travels through the Puna district, they might be enticed and attracted to those who lived in these homes.
Hihiakalaha is a male deity known on Kaua’i Island to be associated with the Hau tree or Hibiscus tiliaceus. Hihiakalaha is said to have desired Poliahu (the Goddess of Snow), and in an attempt to win Poliahu’s love, he attempted to climb the steep cliffs of Wailuanuiahoano. He was unsuccessful and as a result she turned him to a tree. Some say the heart leaf represents his heart. In traditional times, bark from the Hau trees was stripped and cleaned to make a lubricant for both sex and to assist in birthing. Some practitioners of Hawaiian medicine used Hau tree lubricant as a spermicide to prevent pregnancy and perhaps the story of Hihiakalaha and has something to do with the medicinal properties in sex.
Kauna’oa, or Cuscuta sandwichiana, has a similar use. When prepared properly, it can be used as a lubricant for sex and/or birthing. For birthing, the kauna’oa could be prepared for use both internally and externally. Both preparations make a very slippery and slimy substance. Years ago, when I prepared to have my first son, an old la’au lapa’au practitioner, or medicine man, in my family had me drinking it daily. He would tell me that I needed to drink it so that my baby would just “slip out”. Unfortunately, I was not diligent enough with preparing and drinking the kauna’oa before birthing and I regretted that during labor.
Some plant contraceptives were specific to women. The Koa tree, or Acacia tree, was used as a feminine contraceptive as it carried high chemical components or was “tannin rich”. We also look to nature to assist in getting pregnant. For example, the Kanawao fruits, or Broussaisia fruits, were used to promote pregnancies. In this same way, our Hawaiian songs and chants of plant growth or of sex are said to have the same effect.
In 1778, the first wave of Western colonization occurred on our island. Following this period of time would be a long history of missionary colonization. Many of our Hawaiian practices surrounding nature and sexuality were challenged during these periods, which in return challenged our relationship with plants and nature. Long eras of sex and culture shaming resulted. The knowledge shared here was preserved by those who valued these traditions behind closed doors or under kapa (Hawaiian fabric) sheets. This knowledge was preserved by medicine people or la’au lapa’au, hula (dance) practitioners, and plant practitioners in secrecy and handed down orally from generation to generation. This knowledge was preserved by those who believed in the importance of our relationship with plant life, nature, health, reproduction, earth, and, really, what we know as Haumea. A renaissance and resurgence of our traditions and culture provides a space for this knowledge; it provides a space for Papahanaumoku or Haumea. On this day and everyday we honor Haumea, Earth Mother!