Kēkēmapa Wallpaper - ʻUlu

We are so excited to share our newest wallpaper, ʻulu. I feel like this may not be a surprise to many of you who have scooped up our matching ʻulu notepads or perhaps those of you that sponsored an ʻulu tree - but tisʻ the season!

Ever since my days up at Kamehameha Kapālama, Iʻve been so inspired by this plant. Whether it was the mural on Keʻelikōlani Auditorium, the ʻulu tree right next to the breezeway, or the multitude of trees outside of the chapel - it was always around. This is also one of the first trees that my son could recognize on his own, and I imagine its because of the iconic leaves as well as memorable fruit that hang from its branches.

ʻUlu or breadfruit is a staple plant found in Hawaiʻi as well as the Caribbean, South Asia, and Polynesia. It is versatile and can be prepared similarly to a fruit or vegetable. As one of the most highest yielding fruit trees, it’s is no surprise that it’s a go-to for many farmers and families. 

Every part of the tree has practical use - trunks and limbs were used for wood work (houses, canoes, firewood, musical instruments), the inner bark had multiple uses ranging from kapa to rope, and flowers were even used for lei making. ʻUlu is associated with the god of war, politics, farming, and fishing, and is considered a kinolau (earthly form) of the god Kū. This plant is often associated with perseverance, growth, and resilience.

We felt this would be a perfect plant to shine light on in the last month of the year and is alignment with our goal of flipping the script - I’ve been referring to it as indigenizing the Holidays. So often the Holidays end up being a cliche of designs that don’t represent us. There’s rarely (I wont say theres no) snow or mistletoe so I felt it would be fun to celebrate the things that make us special vs. continuing to build on a generalized concept of this time of the year in western tradition.