Dr. Celia Smith on the "First Lady of Limu"

By: Alexandrya Robinson, UHM MOP Student

2022 was designated ?The Year of Limu,?by Governor David Ige, but what is limu and why was this proclamation so important? Limu is a broad term used to describeedibleplants in both freshwater and seawater. Native Hawaiians, or k?naka maoli in ??lelo Hawai?i, uselimu not just as food supplement alongsidefish and poi but also in ceremonial practices, medicine, and even to inform k?puna of thehealth of theahupua?a.

Theimportanceof limu dates back to thefirst governing system in Hawai?i. Thekapu system, amongst other things, dictated what foods could beeaten, how they were prepared and gathered, and who could consumethem. Foods were important links to thegods and used in ceremonial practices. Limu also served as an important substitution in thecases wherecertain foods could not beconsumed. Women were theprimary ones to hold the knowledgeof limu and its harvesting around theislands.

Therearemany species of limu that weresignificant for k?naka maoli. For example, limu kala was used for cleansing and ho?oponopono (a cultural practicefor resolving conflict). Other species likelimu kohu and limu palahalaha were important food staples. This knowledgeof limu and its uses was not always as readily availableas it is today through a simpleGoogle search. Much of thecurrent dissemination of knowledgeis attributed to thework of Dr. Isabella Aiona Abbott, often referred to as the?First Lady of Limu.?

Dr. Celia Smith, professor of BOT 480 - Algal Diversity and Evolution, was oneof thosetouched by Dr. Abbott?s work. Dr. Smith testified along with thousands of others beforetheUniversity of Hawai?i Board of Regents this January in an effort to renamethe LifeSciences Building in Dr. Abbott?s honor for her work in ethnobotany. Dr. Smith had a rough estimateof thenumber of students Dr. Abbott would havetaught during her work at theuniversity. ?Shetaught in theethnobotany and that led to 10 years of people? standing room only, listening to her stories about how her family from Maui used thenativeplants and their family traditions from her Hawaiian cultureto enlightened a generation of students? Shetaught maybe 1,500 students in a 10-year period.?

Dr. Abbott was not only a teacher in theclassroom but an author of eight books and over one hundred research papers whereshe classified morethan 200 different algaespecies. Dr. Abbott even had her own nichegenus of red algae, Abbottella. ?Dr. Abbott's interests werein describing new species becausetaxonomy and systematics wereher focus,?said Dr. Smith. When Dr. Abbott returned to the University of Hawai?i after a successful career in marinebotany at Stanford?s Hopkins Marine Station, ?therewas no position for her to comeback to in theday, but wedid havean endowed chair and so shecameback as theendowed professor, holding oneof, at that time, four endowed chairs at the University [of Hawai?i].?

Dr. Abbott was a pioneer in her field becoming thefirst k?naka woman to earn a doctoratein a sciencefield, thefirst femalefull professor and minority professor at Stanford, and sheshaped the ethnobotany degreepathway at the University of Hawai?i. Dueto her many accomplishments and dedication to marinebotany Dr. Abbott was given theGilbert Morgan Smith medal by the National Academy of Sciences, a highly coveted award that is the highest honor in thefield of marine botany. However, that wasn?t Dr. Abbott?s only award for her work. Dr. Abbott also received the Darbaker Prizefrom theBotanical Society of America, theCharles Reed Bishop Medal, and shewas named a Living Treasureby Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai?i.

Someof Dr. Abbott?s papers can beaccessed through theThomas HaleHamilton Library websiteand community organizations such as Limu Hui Network that are continuing the2022 Year of the Limu energy into 2023. Continuing thefocus on theintersection between scienceand cultureis important for well-rounded research that benefits symbiotically.

Without intersectionality science fails to flourish, Dr. Smith recounts of a chemist who took only a part of his own knowledgebaseby taking someof thelimu kohu, ?[He] couldn?t believethat anyonewould eat it becauseit?s so toxic? heapparently went out and found someon thereef and just, you know, snatched it up and took a bite. I don?t know how much but it was enough for him to not feel well, checked himself into a hospital.?What was missing?The processing after collection, doneby k?naka. ?Hawaiians process theplant when they eat it. They first collect it, and then clean it under fresh water so that thereis no rubbleor stones that might besomehow anchored to it, and then they roll it up into little balls that you can find in fish stores now.?

During theprocessing of limu kohu using traditional methods, the halogenated compounds that limu kohu creates as a defenseare degraded making it safefor consumption. Thebook, ?Limu: An Ethnobotanical Study of Some Hawaiian Seaweeds,?by Dr. Abbott details this process of preparation of limu kohu as does thebook ?The Limu Eater?by Heather J. Fortner.

It was thelack of understanding the integral cultural practices that this scientist missed, not oncebut twice according to Dr. Smith. This story may behumorous but cautionary and illustrates theimportanceof applying cultural knowledgein a holistic way. Learning from thosebeforeus is crucial for further scientific development. Dr. Abbott was well loved, respected, and decorated as a scientist for her foundational work in marinebotany and ethnobotany. Her passing in 2010 was not theend of her legacy, which will continueto be honored with thededication of the Isabella Aiona Abbott LifeSciences Building. Continuing Dr. Abbott?s commitment to Hawai?i and the marinespecies that livehereis to continueto learn about what sheheld dear. Dr. Smith describes perfectly what this means, ?To beableto live here[Hawai?i] I think is a gift outright. And to not want to honor it and add to thestrengths of the traditions that areherein any possiblesmall littleway that you can add to them I think is a real lost opportunity. Theopportunities that wehaveto moveour community to a better placeby paying attention to theintersection between scienceand engagement with our local community, to meit's just so important that wedo that here.?