Organizational Background

Over the last hundred years, the niu has sadly gone from being a critical food source and cherished part of Hawaiian culture to a basic landscape decoration-even labeling it as an “ornamental decoration”. Niu was closely associated with royal celebrations and used for numerous functions, including food, cooking, medicine, rope, building materials, baskets, etc. The coconut had a strong cultural and religious significance for Hawai’i. In addition, recently Hawaiian coconut trees have become victims of the CRB that has killed hundreds of trees on Oahu. Now, since 2023, Maui also has become a possible victim of this CRB invasion. Thus, the need for such initiatives for safeguarding the coconut gene pool and associated knowledge has become critical. The Koali Niu Project is to take a leading role providing this needed service.