Coconuts are central to Polynesian culture. They are part of daily food and lifetime ceremonies. They typify Polynesian scenery. Leaves and trunks of the coconut palm are useful for building, roofing, making baskets and hats and decorations. The water and flesh of the fruit is eaten and drunk in its various stages of development, and coconut milk can be made from it. In WW2, wounded soldiers were even given transfusions of coconut water when blood products were in short supply.
Participants on the Heart of Polynesia Trip (June 2016) experienced the coconut. We drank them, we ate them, we watched a traditional marriage ceremony where a split coconut pours water over the hands of the bride and groom together. Some of us attempted and were humbled by the challenge of opening a coconut…
Coconut slayer Patrice
