Isabella Aiona Abbott, Hidden Hero of History

A wave-splashing tale of the First Lady of Limu! Dive into the fascinating life of Isabella Aiona Abbott. From her early days in Hawaii to becoming a world-renowned expert on Pacific Ocean algae, her journey was filled with scientific curiosity and groundbreaking accomplishments. Drawing on the wisdom passed down through generations, she showed us how to connect with the natural world and use the oceans gifts for food and more. Ms. Abbott broke barriers by being the first Hawaiian woman to earn a PhD in science, discovering over 70 edible seaweeds, and leaving an enduring legacy in marine botany and Hawaiian ethnobotany.

Go to the episode webpage: https://jonincharacter.com/isabella-aiona-abbott/     

If you liked this story about Isabella Aiona Abbott, you might like learning about other American Asian and Pacific Islanders who forged new paths in the arts and sciences: https://jonincharacter.com/kids-podcast-playlist-for-aapi-heritage-month/

CREDITS: This episode has been a Jonincharacter production. Today’s story was written and produced by Molly Murphy and performed by Jonathan Cormur. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Hamilton Studio Recordings.

Transcript

JONATHAN CORMUR: Hello Dork Squad. I'm Jonathan Cormur and you're listening to Dorktales Storytime, the podcast for kids and their pop culture-loving grown-ups, and this is an inspiring story about a hidden hero of history.

THEME SONG: It's a beautiful day for a story, adventure and glory, new friends and old ones too. It's an excellent day to get swept away in a tail, so let us regale you.

(The sound of the ocean)

JONATHAN: Nothing like a relaxing day in Glitter Cove! 

REDGE: One of the most spectacular beaches on the Typographic Islands. 

JONATHAN: You said it. 

REDGE: I hope we didn’t forget anything…

JONATHAN: Well we both have our sunhats. 

REDGE: Of COURSE we do, Jonathan! I never go anywhere without looking the part!

JONATHAN: Naturally. 

REDGE: I’ve got the sunhat and the stylish striped swimsuit! I think the blue compliments my quills nicely. 

JONATHAN: I agree!

REDGE: Oh shucks…Now. Back to the list! You’ve got the sunscreen? 

JONATHAN: I’ve got sunscreen!

REDGE: Books and magazines? 

JONATHAN: I’d NEVER forget the books. 

REDGE: Beach towels?

JONATHAN: Got ‘em! 

REDGE: Snacks?

JONATHAN: Snacks! Yes! I put those…right…in this…uh…

REDGE: Jonathan…please tell me you didn’t forget the SNACKS?

JONATHAN: I um…seem…to have forgotten the snacks. 

REDGE: You….you….you…WHAT? NO SNACKS?

JONATHAN: Redge! It’s going to be–

REDGE: What am I going to do? To snack or not to snack…it isn’t even a question! We must always snack!

JONATHAN: Redge, we can just–

REDGE: ALAS! Poor snacks. I knew them well. My greatest loves! My greatest joys! A day without them? I CAN’T IMAGINE! 

JONATHAN: Redge! Don’t worry buddy! Hey look! There’s a place where you can buy food over there on the pier. The sign says…Donna & Greta’s So-fish-ticated Seaside Snacks. We can just get something from there!

REDGE: Oh. Wonderful. Well, what are you waiting for then?

(Dolphin sounds)

GRETA: Well if it isn’t Redgie the Hedgie! 

REDGE: Hello, Greta! 

JONATHAN: Hi, Greta! 

GRETA: Hello, Jonny! Welcome to So-fish-ticated Seaside Snacks! 

JONATHAN: It’s good to see you here! I didn’t know you opened a little snack booth on the Glitter Cove pier. 

REDGE: And what a great setup! You can just swim straight to the cash register and help your customers. 

GRETA: That’s right! Since dolphins can’t walk on land, Donna and I had to find a way to keep an eye on the business. We’re very creative!

REDGE: And sensational! 

GRETA: Or maybe…SAND-sational! Haha! Get it? Cuz we’re on a beach? 

REDGE: (Chuckles) Oh Greta! You’re Shell-arious! 

GRETA: (Laughs) Redgie! That’s a good one! Anyhoo, feel free to peruse our stock! We’ve got lots of delicious bites to choose from. 

REDGE: Don’t mind if I do! Let’s see. We’ve got Shrimply the Best Bag O’ Chips…

GRETA: Do you like the picture of the seagull on the bag? 

REDGE: I do! Is that…Shrimp the seagull? 

GRETA: It is! He had a hand in coming up with the perfect flavorings for those chips and agreed to be part of the brand. 

JONATHAN: Let’s see there’s barbecue, sea salt and vinegar and…anchovy? 

GRETA: Those are his favorite! 

REDGE: Delightful! I’ll be taking five bags. And what do we have here…

JONATHAN: (As if he’s reading) Crabulous Crackers & Cheese. Ha! That’s great!

REDGE: We’ll take five of those as well. And here is…So-fish-ticated Seaweed? 

GRETA: Ah! Our most popular snack! 

REDGE: Seaweed? Interesting! I didn’t know landlubbers like us could eat seaweed! 

GRETA: Abso-toot-le-lootl-y you can! 

JONATHAN: There’s lots of edible seaweed out there! 

REDGE: You know I’ll be taking five of those as well. I’ve got to try it! 

GRETA: You got it, Redgie! 

JONATHAN: Actually, this reminds me of someone I learned about from my world. She is an expert in the ways of seaweed and marine algae. 

GRETA: She already sounds fabulous.

REDGE: I for one would love to hear more…while I snack, of course. 

JONATHAN: Well then allow me to introduce you to a hidden hero of history, and the “First Lady of Limu”–

(Brief sound of ocean waves)

JONATHAN: Isabella Aiona Abbott! 

REDGE: Limu? 

JONATHAN: That’s the Hawaiian word for water plants, and specifically refers to over 70 species of edible seaweed! 

GRETA: love it! 

JONATHAN: Ms. Abbott was the leading expert on marine algae and seaweeds of the Pacific Ocean. This passion began when she was born in Hawaii on June 20, 1919. Her mom taught her about Hawaii’s native plants– including many different kinds of edible Hawaiian seaweeds. 

REDGE: Now…when you say native plants? 

JONATHAN: That means that her mom was teaching her about the plants that naturally grow in a certain region. 

REDGE: So…is that like the Folktale Forest’s Ramble Berry plant? 

JONATHAN: I don’t know if I’ve heard of that. 

REDGE: If you ate a berry from its branches, you wouldn’t be able to stop talking about it. 

JONATHAN: Oh my! Well yes…that definitely sounds like a plant that’s native to our magical Folktale Forest. 

REDGE: Got it! 

JONATHAN: In 1950, Ms. Abbott pursued and eventually graduated with a PhD in botany from the University of California Berkeley. 

REDGE: PhD?

GRETA: A Purple-Headed Dolphin! 

REDGE: Yes! That’s got to be it. 

JONATHAN: Um…not quite…wait is that an actual dolphin species?

GRETA: Yes! Well…no. I thought you were talkin’ about my friend Tina who got purple barnacles stuck to her head once.

JONATHAN: Ouch! Actually, a PhD is the highest degree you can earn in school. It’s a lot of hard work, and Ms. Abbott achieved it! Her degree was in the scientific study of plants, or botany! 

Ms. Abbott was the first Hawaiian woman to receive a PhD in science. Unfortunately, at the time she graduated, it was difficult for a woman to get a teaching job at a university. 

GRETA: Well. That just makes me crabby. 

REDGE: Me too, Greta! 

JONATHAN: Ms. Abbott spent her time after finishing school diving deep into her studies of algae on the California coast. She even came up with recipes for pickling seaweed, baking it into cake, and more!

REDGE: I LOVE CAKE! 

GRETA: Redgie. Are you so serious right now? 

REDGE: I am always serious about cake. 

GRETA: Well…I LOVE CAKE TOO! 
 
 

REDGE: WHAT A COINCIDENCE!

JONATHAN: I think a lot of people love…you know what. I’m going to let you have this one. 

Ms. Abbott hoped to reintroduce seaweeds into everyday life! She wanted to reconnect people to the natural world. One of the things she taught in her lifetime was how to use the plants that are all around us - for food and other important purposes! 

Another amazing part of her legacy is that she brought awareness to culturally important plants.

REDGE: Like me telling you about our Ramble Berry! 

JONATHAN: Absolutely Redge! 

She learned and taught about historical uses for seaweed and marine algae. And one of my favorite things about her story is that Ms. Abbott relied on oral histories. She gave credit to older generations, who were very important to her work of preserving Hawaiians’ knowledge of the ocean. 

REDGE: Oral histories…that’s kind of like what you’re doing now! Telling us the story of Ms. Abbott so more people can learn about her! 

JONATHAN: That’s right Redge. 

Ms. Abbott’s efforts led to the study of Hawaiian ocean knowledge at the university level. Which was a big deal! And she promoted Hawaiian ocean stewardship practices, when she was harvesting the limu. Otherwise known as marine algae.

REDGE: Which means she was making sure that she didn’t hurt ocean habitats when she was harvesting the seaweed and algae. 

JONATHAN: Correct! She used knowledge from generations of Hawaiians to keep the oceans safe, while still learning more about what they have to offer! 

REDGE: I never thought about how the natural world around us becomes part of our culture and history! From the way we interact with plants to providing ingredients for our traditional foods! 

JONATHAN: And then recipes are passed down through families. Just like Ms. Abbott’s cake.

GRETA: Oh I adore this, oh my goodness I’m getting a little verklempt…

JONATHAN: Are you OK Greta

GRETA: Oh, I’ll be fine, keep going, don’t worry about me…continue the story 

JONATHAN: In her lifetime, Ms. Abbott is credited with discovering over 200 species of seaweed and marine algae. There are even several named after her, including a red algae called Abbottella. 

GRETA: Two hundred? I don’t know that many species of seaweed and algae…and I live in the ocean!

JONATHAN: Hard to compete with Ms. Abbott– she is regarded as the world’s leading expert on algae in the Pacific Ocean. 

GRETA: What a stand-up gal!

REDGE: Agreed! 

JONATHAN: In 1966, Ms. Abbott became a research associate and guest lecturer. And eventually, in 1972, Stanford University made her a full professor of Biology. She was the first woman and first person of color in this position at the university. 

REDGE: Huzzah! 

JONATHAN: In 1982 Ms. Abbott and her husband moved back to Hawaii. Once there, the University of Hawaii hired her to teach ethnobotany. 

GRETA: And what’s that Jonny? 

REDGE: The study of the interaction between humans and plants! 

JONATHAN: That’s right Redge! Great job!

REDGE: Why thank you! I’ve been learning a thing or two…or three…from you. Hehe. And it sounds like I could learn even more from Ms. Abbott herself.

JONATHAN: She truly wrote the book on seaweeds and marine algae! 

REDGE: You got that right! Our resident expert! 

JONATHAN: Yes! But also…she really did write the book! She wrote eight books to be exact, and over 150 academic articles and papers on the topic. 

GRETA: That’s just fabulous. Donna and I are distinguished authors ourselves. 

REDGE: Really? 

GRETA: Yes! Have you heard of Treasure Island? 

 JONATHAN: You wrote…

REDGE: The 10-book-and-counting action-adventure series that starts with the classic novel, “The Coast is Clear”? OF COURSE I HAVE!

JONATHAN: Ah. So A different Treasure Island than the one I know. Heh. 

GRETA: So glad you’ve read our SEA-ries, Redgie! Hehe. 

Needless to say, I’m feeling quite inspired by Ms. Abbott today. 

JONATHAN: Ms. Abbott has inspired so many others like you! She received many honors and awards in her field. And the University of Hawaii even established a scholarship in her name. It supports students studying Hawaiian ethnobotany and marine botany.

REDGE: Her work lives on! 

JONATHAN: Indeed! 

GRETA: What an absolute delight, Redgie and Jonny! 

JONATHAN: Thank you for letting me share Ms. Abbott’s story! 

REDGE: (As if his mouth is full) MMMMMM! And these seaweed snacks! These are top-tier snacks! 

GRETA: How fab! I’m so glad you like them. 

JONATHAN: Let me try one of those…(As if his mouth is full) Oh! You’re so right Redge! Maybe we should just take a few more of these for the road. 

REDGE: I couldn’t agree more. 

GRETA: Maybe Donna and I’ve gotta learn how to make Ms. Abbott’s cake.

REDGE: That’s an absolute must! 

JONATHAN: If it’s anything like these snacks, you’ll have another hit on your hands! 

GRETA: We love a hit! You two enjoy now! Toodles! 

REDGE: Thanks, Greta! 

JONATHAN: See ya, Greta! 

Dolphin sounds. 

REDGE: (Sighs) My life is now complete. Good stories, good friends, and most fantastic of all–

JONATHAN: A beautiful sunny day in Glitter Cove? 

REDGE: That is good! But no…

JONATHAN: The relaxing sounds of the waves? 

REDGE: Also delightful! But no…

JONATHAN: Hmmm…what’s most fantastic of all then? 

REDGE: SNACKS. 

JONATHAN: (Chuckling) Of course, Redge. Of course.

JONATHAN CORMUR: Hidden Heroes of History is a Jonincharacter production. This story was written by Molly Murphy and performed by Jonathan Cormur. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Hamilton Sound Studios. Reach out to us on Instagram or email us at dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com. You can find links in the show notes. Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!

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