`Ulu (Breadfruit) Drink Mat
The ʻUlu (Breadfruit) Drink Mat features dark green leaves printed in four gradations on green fabric.
Each drink mat is hand printed and sewn on Maui. Drink mats feature multiple liner layers to protect against condensation soaking through. They are sold in pairs, make a great gift, and add a nice touch to any home!
Size: approximately 4.5 inches square.
`Ulu, was one of the few subsistence plants the Polynesians brought with them when they sailed to the Hawaiian Islands.
Back in early Polynesian time, breadfruit had reached the Hawaiian islands near 750 AD, and over the centuries contributed quietly to just about everything the Hawaiians needed to survive. The trunk was used to make surf boards, drums, canoe parts, poi boards and wood for house and furniture construction. The inner bark lent itself as a second-grade tapa cloth. Leaf sheaths, like the finest of abrasives, polished utensils, bowls, or kukui nuts used for leis. The young buds were a medicine for mouth and throat. The white sticky sap became glue, caulking, chewing gum, or medicine. As bird lime it caught the colorful birds with their coveted feathers. And of course breadfruit filled the stomach of many Hawaiian.
The legendary origin of such an invaluable plant was contributed by the war-god Kuka'ilimoku. During a time of famine, he buried himself in the ground to emerge again as a healthy breadfruit tree. "Eat some, feed our kids," he told his mortal wife and subsequently saved his family from starvation.
