Updated a few sections, particularly with regards to etymology and terminology.

One major issue with attempting to provide exact meanings for slinging terms and definitions is that the Hawaiian language can be poetic in nature, with words and terms often having what we refer to as kaona (deeper, hidden meaning). Because of this, I dedicated a lot of time dissecting each slinging term/word I came across to reveal the possible kaona that might not have been mentioned in the listed definition.

Archaic Arms wrote on Mar 7^th, 2021 at 1:44pm:


Forgot to mention, AA.

A colleague of mine needed to obtain ʻolonā for a documentary they filmed last year on traditional Hawaiian Ulua fishing.

If you go through the same source, ʻolonā fibers can be yours for the cheap price of $3000/oz 

In all seriousness, hearing this from my colleague was quite sad. ʻOlonā cultivation and production was commonplace throughout much of our history prior to the mid and later 1800s. Now it is essentially impossible to obtain; even for most Hawaiians that arenʻt Hawaiian culture artesans or practitioners that can find/obtain ʻolonā plants to make the fiber themselves or afford the ridiculous prices.

xud9a - call me zud 👍 wrote on Apr 21^st, 2025 at 7:59am:


Although 'olonā is related to nettle, it's significantly harder to grow in both it's natural range or traditional plantations as they require very specific conditions that are difficult to replicate in modern times.

I encouraged a botanist colleague to attempt to propagate it as he frequently propagates, cultivates and distributes many of our native species to the community. He expressed interest but said it might be too difficult due to the specialized equipment needed, as well as the fact that most individuals would not be able to cultivate them properly without artificially creating a suitable climate.

xud9a - call me zud 👍 wrote on Apr 22^nd, 2025 at 3:55am:


Iʻve spoken to individuals who have significantly more experience with our native plants than I; my botanist colleague and another trained botanist who operates a nursery business specifically for native plants. In both cases, neither observed or was successful in cultivating them outside of their native range , so it would be essentially impossible for me to do so without creating the specialized structure that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fabricate and maintain where Iʻm located.

There is a community in my town that has 60 acres of forested land higher up in the mountains with lots of moisture. If I can convince my colleague to take up the propagation aspect, I could possibly convince them to start planting out ʻolonā. Given the current price point from the one source I mentioned, it could be a significant source of revenue for the members of the community while also increasing availability for artisans and cultural practitioners at hopefully a significantly less price point.

The major problem is that very few people still utilize understory plantation cultivation techniques used by Hawaiians of old, so it would be a learning curb for everyone involved.