The Hawaiian Calabash - A Woodturner's Perspective ---  NOTE: THIS TEXT IS CURRENTLY A WORK IN PROGRESS ---

I have been fascinated and influenced by the traditional Hawaiian Calabash for quite some time and I will present two rotations on strategies for turning them and similarly shaped bowls at the 2011 AAW Symposium in St. Paul, MN in June.

 The book entitled, The Hawaiian Calabash by Irving Jenkins Photographed by Hugo DeVries is a spectacular hardbound book that chronicles the history and development of the Hawaiian Calabash.  The following article is based mostly on the book with some additional information from wood turners who have experience and knowledge of and with these objects.  The book is not a how-to book.  It consists mostly of historical accounts of early expeditions to the Hawaiian islands, excerpts from travel journals and newspaper articles,  and photographs of historically significant objects. 

The origin of the English word "calabash" is probably derived from the French and Spanish words calebasse and calabaza, both meaning gourds or pumpkins.  Gourds, coconuts, weaved fiber vessels, and wooden containers were all used as bowls and utensils with the wood objects being reserved for the chiefs and royalty.  The term "calabash" is a generic term that encompasses all sorts of bowls, serving platters, cups, and storage containers.  More specific terminology existed for specific types of objects (see below). 

The history of the calabash can be roughly separated into three time periods.  They can be summarized with the first period being the time before Western contact was made with the Polynesian Islands; the next time period would be after Western contact was made and iron tools were introduced to the islands; and the next time period was after the desire for Westernization began and King Kamehameha II abolished the ancient religion of the kingdom.  The introduction of the lathe was a significant even as well, but by this time the production of these objects shifted away from cultural objects made by native makers to production items made by Western, Chinese, and Japanese craftsmen as part of businesses that also produced furniture and other items. 

Unfortunately, much of the history and woodworking techniques of the earliest time period have been lost to antiquity.  The bowls produced had a strong cultural and spiritual significance.  They were made from wood, gourd, coconut, and fiber.  Gourds were by far the most common containers used by all levels of Hawaiian society.  Few examples of the bowls remain and few tools.  The tools used were fire, coral, stones, lava rocks, charcoal, and bamboo leaves.  The finish was the oil from the kukui nut.  The trees were probably felled by starting a fire at the base of the tree.  Axe or adze like stone tools were used for the shaping of the bowls.  Hollowing was probably done with the same stone tools and fire.  Smoothing and polishing was accomplished with stone, coral, lava rocks, charcoal, dried bamboo leaf, and kapa (a fabric made from the fibers of certain trees and shrubs).  The finish was hand rubbed from the oil from the kukui nut.  Bowls that were intended to be used with food were treated with a fermented poi to draw out the bitterness from the wood.  The wood of choice was the kou (Cordia subcordata) an evergreen tree that grew along the shorelines throughout Polynesia and southern Pacific.

First recorded contact was by British Captain James Cook in 1778.  This marked the introduction of iron tools to the calabash makers.  Plane irons and the iron rings from wooden barrels were fashioned  into the same adze like tool that was traditionally used.  With more efficient tools, the size of the calabashes increased.  Some bowls from this time period that have survived can hold over thirty gallons.  The kou trees sharply declined after the introduction of insect pests and the koa (acacia koa) tree was more widely used.  Other woods used were milo (thespesia populnea), kamani (kamani calophylluminophyllum), and monkeypod (samanea saman).

The most significant event of the third time period outlined above was a general eagerness to Westernize and the fact that King Kamehameha II abolished the ancient religion of the kingdom.  This marked the beginnings of Western influence over the traditions and lifestyles of the people.  Traditional wooden dishes and calabashes were being replaced by china bought from merchants from Canton.

"Suddenly, the chiefs could no longer forbid commoners to acquire certain possessions, such as kou wood bowls, simply by declaring them kapu, or forbidden by divine right." - The Hawaiian Calabash, Jenkins, p. 10.

There was a shift from native craftsmen who made culturally significant objects to Western, Chinese, and Japanese lathe craftsmen who made reproductions of the traditional bowls as part of their businesses.

umeke - deep, tall bowl used for vegetable food

ipu kai - thick rimmed, shallow bowl used for meat

USEFUL LINKS

http://www.patkramer.net/html/traditional_bowls.html

http://www.sdwt.org/support_docs/techniques&tips/RoundBowls-version3.pdf

http://www.kellydunnwoodturner.com/

http://www.cliffjohns.com/