The palm of life whose nature is simply nurturing

By KIUNDU WAWERU

The old man grimaces as he sips a milky drink, then picks a knife and stares at the 30-metre tree swaying majestically in the midday sun.

He approaches the tree, hugs it in a tight embrace before ascending it on the holes chipped at regular intervals, like a rugged stairway. Before long, the old man is at treetop.

At the Kenyan Coast, Kazungu Ngumbao is called mgema (wine-tapper) and he literally earns a living by tapping sap from a variety of palm trees.

Ngumbao’s work is reverred as the palm tree is the lifeline of the poverty-ravaged region. The sap comes as an alcoholic drink, referred to as mnazi, and it does not need fermenting.

This is but one of the wonders of the coconut tree, which the Coastal people believe to be the foundation of their existence. Nothing, from its roots, to the leaves and barks go to waste. Everything is sold or consumed from fruit, leaves, trunk, and of course, mnazi.

"Freshly tapped mnazi is sweet, but it can make inexperienced consumers tipsy. But when left overnight, it gets well fermented and a few glasses makes one drunk," says Santa Katana, a resident of Kilifi County.

Mnazi provides daily bread for the mgema, the tree owner, the middleman and finally, the women who own the drinking dens, with many selling from their homes.

Says Ngoli Njambo, an old man in his 70s: "Since the days of our fathers, the coconut tree was seen as a blessing to our dry land. We would eat its fruit, use it to cook food and its leaves were used to roof our houses."

Indeed, menus in the coastal eateries feature tasty foods made from coconut, including wali wa nazi (coconut rice), mchicha wa nazi (amaranth in coconut) and also fish is stewed in finger-licking coconut sauce. Growing in tropical coasts, the coconut palm tree is referred to as the tree of life as its myriad uses are not limited to the culinary. It is also considered medicinal as its roots are used as medicine for dysentery, processed for dye and mouthwash.

Durable furniture

"The trunk," Katana says, "Forms the hardest of all woods and it is used to make canoes and durable furniture." Then comes the coconut fruit which, when ripe, is sold as juice, referred to as madafu. The coconut meat, the white fleshy substance inside the shell is edible, and when dried, is made into coco flour, coconut milk, chips and candy and even animal feeds.

Also the coconut oil, processed in factories, is considered the most digestible of all fats. The oil, extracted from the coconut fresh is also used for cosmetics.

And the husks are also put to good use. Mzee Ngoli says locals also use the fibre found in husks to make mattress filling. Indeed, the husk is lso used to make ropes, mats and brushes. The Coastal people use the shell to make ornaments, which is also another mainstay for the cottage industry.

Insatiable need

The leaves, popularly known as makuti, are used to thatch houses. Ironically, Katana says locals cannot afford the makuti, as they have become expensive, mainly to feed the insatiable hotel sector. Compared to iron sheets, makuti are better as they are cool.

Echoing Mzee Ngoli’s sentiments, another coastal resident, Mohamed Yusuf, is a bitter man. He laments the commercialization of the coconut tree, which is threatening its existence.

"Visit Kongowea market and you will find very tiny coconut fruits. The large and better ones are imported to other countries, which process them and make a myriad products," Yusuf says, adding that ironically, the products are shipped back into the country, "you can find them in the supermarkets, as coconut milk, powder, grated coconut, cosmetics and even coconut cream."

Wine tapper Ngumbao, the mgema, is an endangered species as accidents do happen. Indeed, in Kilifi District Hospital’s Orthopaedic Male Ward, doctors say most of the patients are tappers who have fallen off coconut trees.

Ngumbao has obviously seen better days, although he does not know his age. All his life, he says he has been tapping mnazi, for lack of other jobs, but he has been lucky not to fall.