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| | The Hala Tree and the Art of Lauhala |
 | | The hala, or pandanus, a native to the Hawaiian and Pacific islands, has such long aerial roots, reaching to the ground, that the whole tree appears to walk on straight and sturdy stilts. |
 | | Legend says that the hala tree is so abundant as a direct result of Pele's rage, whose canoe, on her first landing ashore, got entangled in the resistant roots and leaves. |
 | | It is said that the hala lei, made from the keys of its pineapple-like fruit, is connected to death, and eternal good-bye. |
| www.coffeetimes.com /hala.htm (555 words) |
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