Our Medicine is Resistance - Rossa Medicine

06/20/2026

06/12/2026

Hawaiian Name: ʻŌlena
Botanical Name: Curcuma longa
Family: Zingiberaceae (Ginger family)
Status: Polynesian-introduced
Where found: In cultivation
Water/Light: Moist, with part shade
Elevation range: up to 3,000 feet
Height: 2 to 4 feet

ʻŌlena is best known throughout the world as turmeric, and was brought to Hawai‘i by the first Polynesian settlers. In ancient Hawai‘i, ʻōlena was mixed with sea water and used in religious ceremonies to purify and infuse mana (power) into objects, people and places. A dark yellow kapa dye can be made from the roots of ʻōlena. This pigment was reserved for ali‘i (chiefs and royalty). The beautiful flowers are referenced in Jimmy Kaholokula’s beloved Hawaiian mele, Pua ʻŌlena (made popular by the Lim Family of Kohala).

06/03/2026

Mahalo nui to our ED Aunty Kū Kahakalau for continuing to share our ʻike kupuna mai ʻō a ʻō.