A Controversial Belizean Tree - The Pokono Bwai

ABOVE: "Pokono Bwai" Bactris Major trees in Belizean forest.

Pokono Bwai - The Controversial Historical Belizean Tree! By I.E. Sanchez and Silvana Woods
Not many Belizeans may know its scientific name (Bactris Major), but just about everyone has heard
about the pokono-bwai. This veritable, versatile palm has historical, cultural and practical
significance, and this article is the first known effort to compile the who, what , where,
when and why of the pokono-bwai. Even its controversial local name stirs up visions of the past.

I.E. Sanchez, former Chief Education Officer and long-time educator, joins forces with the
Secretary of the National Kriol Council, Silvana Woods, herself a lecturer at Univerisity of Belize
to give this much maligned palm the long overdue dignity it deserves. Read. Enjoy. And who knows - perhaps
a revival of interest in the practical uses of the pokono-bwai may yet be the economic salvation of many!

ABOVE: Close up of "Pokono Bwai" Bactris Major tree in Belizean forest.

The pokono-bwai of the Battle of St. George's Caye fame is a versatile palm, indigenous to Belizean soil.
It has been used by humans throughout the ages. It grows well along swampy land, but does well also in
high ground. The palm grows in clusters and the stems are covered with prickles from the roots to the leaves.
These prickles inflict a very painful sting. The most commonly used part of the pokono-bwai is the fruit.

When ripe, these fruits turn black and are relished by humans and animals. Pokono-bwai fruits are sold in
the local markets. The fruits come in bunches; they are really nuts covered by delicious, edible pulp.
The nut, or seed, can be used as firewood as the shell is hard; the kernelinside can be used to make
vegetable oil. Nurse Quiroz of Burrell Boom Village, which is hailed as the entrance to the Belize River Valley,
has made wine from the palm. Because it is made from the palm, and not the fruit, Pokono-bwai wine does
not have a fruity bouquet; instead, it delivers a slightly dry and tangy taste.

Other common uses of the pokono-bwai have practical applications. The palm is cut (during the full moon) and
the stem is cleansed of its prickles. A specified length of stem is split length-wise and the resulting two parts
are bent completely to form the famous kiss-kiss. The kiss-kiss has two popular uses: to move around live coals
in fire-hearth cooking and to catch crabs, either pulling out the crab from its hole, or grabbing it as it scurries
across the roadside.

For the Mopan, Q'eqchi' and Yucatec Maya, the pokono-bwai is used as a planting stick.
Come time to plant you can find some farmers using the acte as it is called in one of the local languages.
Just about now you might be wondering: how did the bactris major, which is the palm's scientific name,
come to be called "pokono-bwai"? No doubt, just as the origin of the country's name Belize has at least
four versions, so too does the origin of the local name.

One popularly accepted version is based on the practice that supervisors, foremen and even cowboys
of the past had. (There were no forewomen or cowgirls back then!) They used to use a length of stick
to poke reluctant animals or anyone needing a prod to get them to move along. The story further goes that
during the days of slavery, slave owners used a polished stem of this palm to poke reluctant slaves -as well t
hey should have been - hence the name pokono-bwai. Another origin of the name is based on the days of the
mahogany camps. However it got its name, the fact remains that the pokono-bwai served the Belizeans of the
past well, even as it continues to be used today as a kiss-kiss, in wine making and as a planting stick.
Additionally, its uses as a hunting spear and as fighting weapon are legendary.

However, while no one much argues with its use as a hunting implement, the use of the pokono-bwai stick as a
fighting weapon has often been met with derision by pseudo-scholars of today. Perhaps that is too strong of a
term to describe the malingers of the pokono-bwai; perhaps it is just mere ignorance of the power of the
stick that has led several public figures in 21st century Belize to skeptically raise their verbal eyebrows
whenever the Battle of St. George's Caye is mentioned, and by extension, the use of the pokono-bwai
in the Battle - even if it was technically a series of skirmishes!

While one would never encourage another to test the use of the pokono-bwai as a fighting weapon today,
the fact is that the Bactris Major makes a powerful and effect spear when prepared right. First,
the stem is cut (again during the full moon). One end is then sharpened and hardened in a fire.
This combination turns what was once a prickly irritant into a deadly spear, particularly when
flung with force - and anger - at the enemy.

Whether you know it for the nectar of its fruit, the bouquet of its wine, the stinging prickles that juk
you if touched, the clackity clack of its sound when used as a kiss-kiss, or the sound of its thud
when used as a spear, the pokono-bwai, Bactris Major, deserves our respect!.

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