The Banyan Tree

Lahaina Town’s monstrous one-hundred-seventy-year-old banyan tree covers a whole block across from the harbor. One can sit on a bench under the tree’s spread and see the harbor twinkling through its branches, but it’s the banyan that commands the eye, not the water. The tree’s many trunks (16) reach deep into the island’s soil wherever it pleases, its growth a blatant advertisement for how flora thrive in the tropics under the sun and the rain and the trade winds.

 A monument to persistence, it has withstood the test of modern civilization, standing tall as Christian missionaries imparted their puritan ways on the mores of the Polynesians and remained steadfast with the downfall of Hawaiian royalty. It continued to grow despite the land-hoarding plantation owners more than a century ago, and still spreads its roots today despite the corruption of Hawaiian culture by real estate developers.

This new monarch, a true Hawaiian, stands proudly against the backdrop of blatant commercialism; on one side of its shade, trinket shops thrive with endless tourists, and on the other, millionaire yachts float delicately on the sparking sea.

Little wonder Lahaina Town officials pamper the iconic banyan knowing its sovereignty pays their salaries.

5 Comments

  1. Lin Ennis on December 4, 2020 at 5:57 pm

    Exquisitely written, my dear friend. I’d love a picture of it. Perhaps there is one on Wiki Commons you could use.



  2. Nancy Shefelbine on December 4, 2020 at 9:01 pm

    Love the philosophy.



  3. Harriet Furuya on December 5, 2020 at 7:58 am

    Loved this! It is definitely a majestic tree dominating its surroundings on the island of my birth. Thank you for giving it the legacy it deserves.



  4. Kim on December 5, 2020 at 6:16 pm

    As usual, beautifully written. Loved visiting Lahaina and that ancient tree! ❤️



  5. Terrie Geyer on December 6, 2020 at 4:10 am

    Thanks Geri! Your wonderfully written article brought back great memories for me. Even if I hadn’t had the pleasure, you brought this majestic tree to life!