Uses: Bōb is one of only a few important edible species found
in the atoll and reef island environment. It has been a very important
plant in Marshallese society for thousands of years. People have been
reproducing bōb by planting cuttings (asexual reproduction) for many
generations.
Traditionally, many people made preserved bōb paste, called
mokwan, or jāānkun, when the fruit was in season. They could eat
this is times of famine and sailors could take it on long voyages.
Recently people have become interested in making and selling mokwan, which
would have health and economic benefits. You can read about more about
making mokwan in
Marshallese or
English.
Besides serving as a food, the fibrous fruit helps clean the teeth, acting
as a natural dental floss. The long leaves furnish fiber for mats, hats,
baskets, and other items. In addition, leaves of ni (coconut palm) and
wūnmaañ varieties of bōb are used to thatch traditional
houses. In the past, canoe sails were plaited from the leaves.
In ancient times, men and women wore rolled-up
Pandanus leaves in
their pierced earlobes. For men the roll was 7-10 cm (3-4 in) in diameter,
but it was smaller for women. Chamisso, a French artist and botanist, was
among the first European visitors to come to the Marshall Islands in the
early 19th century. He wrote that these rolled leaves worn in the earlobes
sometimes were covered with a "delicate tortoise-shell lamina." According
to Chamisso, a bunch of
Pandanus leaves was tied around a ripening
fruit as a symbol of possession to discourage anyone else from harvesting
it. The tips of the aerial roots of
Pandanus trees are used in
traditional medicine.
