Ho'olua

Photo: Pohaku 'eho manu from the J.S. Emerson Collection

 Hoolua was a method of cooking. A long tapered porous shaped stone termed pohaku eho manu or eho was either found naturally or worked by hand to create the cone shaped tool. This stone tool was shaped to fit into the cavity of a bird for the intent of cookong the bird from the inside. This pohaku was heated till red in a wood fire. This red stone was now called eho, and would be placed into the cavity of of the native bird to be cooked. Other stones of natural flat design may be placed under or on top the bird to help in the cooking. After the stones were placed in the birds, the bird was wrapped in banana leaves and ti leaves.

This wrapped bird would then be placed or buried under the dirt to cook. Puholo was another term to describe the steaming process of the bird. This was done by placing a long shaped heated stone inside the birds cavity, the bird was placed in a gourd container, more stones could be added around the outside of the bird to speed up cooking and the container was sealed at the top to keep in the heat and steam. Pa'akai or salt could be added to the ai.

Photo: Bishop Museum pohaku eho manu

Photo:Comparison of a cooking stone from the Bishop Museum Ethnographic Collection (Cat. No. 9180) and roximal ragment from the Pu'u Kalepeamoa ite.