…with pounding board by Kalani’s uncle Tuione Pulotu

The poi pounder (Na pohaku kui poi) originated in Hawaii, where the indigenous people used it as a tool to mash cooked taro into poi, a traditional Hawaiian dish. In order to make poi, the taro was first cooked for three to four hours in an underground oven called an imu. Then, after being peeled, the taro went onto a wetted wooden board to be pounded. The surface of the poi pounder would be wetted between each impact, the taro became a thick paste called paiai, which, thinned by water, made poi.