 A seed before our Civil War—grew to 135 feet in
height with a span of more than 185 feet: Almost the size of a city block.
Only man can turn it into a salad bowl, or cala-bash, as the
Hawaiians say.
The history of this piece of wood released my grip as a
latent tree hugger, running emotionally amok, and I was able to recognize its value as a
work of art. The beautiful, colorfully grained wood container stands more than
6’7" tall and has a circumference of 18 feet.
This special Monkey Pod tree, once considered by the National
Register as a historical, natural resource, was going to be dynamited to smithereens by
the Hawaiian government. The State refused to commit the funds required to set aside the
area as a park, as well as the eternal vigil and maintenance of such a treasure.
Albert Remy and Dan Cunningham, one of the wood sculptors,
were given the tree. The costs of very specialized logging and transport put the two
deeply in debt. They were committed to saving what they could of the incredible natural
wonder.
And from nature, came a glorious single piece of wood, carved
delicately and polished only with oil. Scott Hare and Dave Tarlton worked with Dan, taking
great care for more than 75 weeks, or 2,978 hours to create this magnificent object of
art.
Albert Remy, with 30 years of tropical forest experience, has
been in possession of the calabash since its completion in 1991. It is more than a
possession; it is his obsession. Mr. Remy  has
another dedication, however, to the Sandalwood tree. A natural resource of the Hawaiian
Islands, the Sandalwood is one of legend and myth.
It happened that the ruling Kings of a long ago Hawaii sold
Sandalwood trees to Chinese traders. The Sandalwood was, in effect, the Island’s
treasury. The wholesale stripping and clearance of land resulted in the accumulation of
wealth by generations of royal families. The concept of deforesting was not yet a global
consideration. Greed had been with us forever.
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The Sandalwood trade was so successful, the trees became
nearly extinct on the Islands. The trade in wood and wood products ceased nearly 200 years
ago.
Mr. Remy, a lover of wood in all its forms, is attempting to
re-forest the Islands, and has renewed the trade under stringent controls. It is his
determination that a forest will flourish again, while at the same time, meeting a small
part of the demand for special Sandalwood products. Considering these trees require 30
years to mature, Mr. Remy, sadly, will never see the results of his loving care.
While those maturing years pass, Mr. Remy enjoys the
manufacture and sale of unique items such as the original Tiger Woods Putting Mallets. He
consults with Hawaii’s largest landholders in the re-forestation of their lands, and
specializes in development of forest products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and
fragrances.
The calabash, which sits in a warehouse in the most arid part
of Hawaii, has been appraised for as much as $450,000. The Guinness Book of Records has
recognized this piece as the greatest human achievement of fine art of its kind. The
Bishop Museum in Hawaii has offered one half million dollars for the glorious artifact;
but it was not ready to be sold yet – now it is.
The calabash is coming to Las Vegas. Its living spirit, which
can only be perceived in its presence, will be located at a yet unknown destination.
For further information, please call (702) 792-4036, toll
free at (800) 299-2113 or e-mail us. LVN |
