Hana Way

Oil on linen 18x24

$475.00

 

The first encounter between a European and a pineapple occurred in November, 1493, when Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage to the Caribbean region, lowered anchor in a cove off the lush, volcanic island of Guadeloupe and went ashore to inspect a deserted  village. There, amidst parrots, jungle foliage and wooden pillars spiraled with serpent carvings, his crew came upon cook pots filled with human body parts. Nearby were piles of freshly gathered vegetables and fruits, including pineapples. The European sailors ate, enjoyed and recorded the curious new fruit which had an abrasive, segmented exterior like a pine cone and a firm interior pulp like an apple. By importing and cultivating exotic fruit in Hawaii, Love follows an ancient tradition. The remote islands were home to only a few berries and other edible plants when ancient Polynesian voyagers first arrived; they had to nurture coconut and banana seedlings, among other staples, in their long sailing canoes when they crossed the ocean to their new home.