Kukui Nut Soot
The dark depth of color. The smooth glide of the paint brush across the surface. Today, we can pick up a pen or bottle of black ink at the store, but what did our ancestors do before supermarkets, big box stores, and craft supplies became readily available? Specifically, what did the Hawaiians do?
I personally harvested and processed black in three ways — He’e (octopus), wana (sea urchin), and kukui nut soot. Today, is all about the Kukui nut.
Glorious in its foul smell and usefulness, the kernel of the kukui can be found hidden within the hard black shell. But before we get into that, lets talk about the tree that creates it.
Kukui Tree. Photo by: Keo Hanapi-Hirata
The scientific name for the kukui tree is Aleurites moluccanus (try to say that five times fast). In Hawaiian, kukui means “light.” The kernel of the kukui nuts can be strung together to form a chain that acts as a candle. Using the spines of coconut palm leaves, the Hawaiians would take the soft oily kernels and pierce through the opening on the bottom until it punctures at the top. They could tell when the kukui nut was ready to be used as it would have an oily film surrounding it and the bottom portion will literally have a small opening. If the meaty part isn’t soft and there is no oil, then it is not yet ripened enough to be used as a candle nor to obtain soot. It might be good for food though.
String of kukui kernels creates the Hawaiian candle
Hawaiians would take the tougher kernels, cut them up, and add them into spices. This is called inamona. While it is delicious, it is best to use sparingly until your stomach is acclimated as it can have a laxative effect.
The tree has multiple medicinal properties. It was also known to help with constipation, heal swelling, bruising, broken bones, thrush, toothache, bad breath, stomach ache, skin fungus, and much more. The kukui tree is also high in tannin and is able to produce dyes from its bark and nuts. A varnish can be made by softening the kukui sap in water and then applied to the art piece or mixed with the ink/dye. The half and whole outer shells can be made into beautiful leis.
Raw, unripen, kukui tree nuts. When plucked at this stage of maturity, the sap can be used for toothaches and thrush.
Ok, back to the nuts. The green nuts on the tree are still to raw. I wait until the nut has dropped to the ground, the outer green husk falls off, and then I would collect it. Picking just a handful is not enough. A full bucket would be best. However, before taking it home, I check to see if any of the nuts float. Floating nuts signify that the kernel may be missing or so old that it has decomposed completely in the shell and is no longer viable. There is nothing as disheartening as lugging a full bucket of strong smelling kukui nuts home, cracking them open, and finding nothing inside.
As I crack open each nut, I separate the kernels by type and capabilities. The categories are; food, fuel, and odd. Food would be for inamona. Fuel is any that is oily and ripe to the point of being able to light on fire. The “odd” is any kernels that have a different look or texture that I may find interesting enough to experiment with. I switch between using a hammer or rock and place the kukui shell on a hard surface then proceed to crack open each one. Once the kernels used for fuel are ready, I place them in a mini charcoal grill, prep the grill as I would for nay normal fire, light it up, and place the grill’s cover over it. The cover will capture the soot as the fire burns.
I continue to check on the fire and re-light it if needed. Once all the kernels have burned out, I wait until the grill has cooled down, and then scrape the grill’s lid until all the soot is captured.
Kukui soot scraped from the lid of the grill.
From this point I can decide to store it in a bottle and place it in the fridge or add oil to it. I prefer to add clear, odorless oil as it will remove the strong kukui nut smell and will help to preserve it. The more oil, the more I am able to stretch the soot and the smoother the application. Traditionally, the Hawaiian people would add oil to the soot and use it as tattoo ink.
The beginning stages of the kapa art piece, Hoailona.
Although messy, smelly, and difficult to source, the kukui nut ink is stunning once completed. For any dyer, painter, or curious person, this one is perfect for you. Try it. Then, come back and tell me what you thought of it. If you already tried it, still let me know what you think about it.
Aloha,
Kekai
Founder, Kapa Curious