Tiairi – The Candlenut Tree
There’s something quietly powerful about the Tiairi, the Tahitian Candlenut tree. Indigenous to Polynesia, it’s one of those trees that holds centuries of knowledge within its roots, branches, and fruit.
Once used for lighting, the nuts of the Tiairi were strung like beads onto the rib of a coconut leaf to create a torch. Each nut would burn for about ten minutes, gently passing the flame to the next. It’s such a poetic image—a chain of light, illuminating the way.
But the Tiairi gave more than light. Its soot, when mixed with water or monoi (our beloved coconut oil), was used to make tattoo ink. Deep, rich, and symbolic, this ink carried stories across skin—ancestry, journeys, identity. The bark was also used to dye tapa cloth in earthy shades of red, brown, and black.
The tree itself is beautiful, growing tall—10 to 15 meters—with a rough brown trunk that smooths out into a silvery gray higher up.
The fruit, known as the candlenut or noix d’abrasin, hides two hard, bitter kernels that produce Bancoul oil. This oil has been used for generations in traditional medicine—gently purgative, great for skin, even used to soothe babies and sunburns. And a fresh leaf placed on the forehead? A classic remedy for headaches.
It is also interesting to know that this very same tree is the official state tree of Hawai‘i—a strong affirmation to its presence and importance across the Pacific.
The Tiairi holds its place with quiet strength, offering light, healing, and tradition in equal measure. It is the kind of tree that reminds us how deeply connected we are to our land and how much wisdom is held in the plants that have always been with us.
Photo credit : Mānoa Heritage Center
