| True Name | Wakaya |
| Frequency | Uncommon |
| Quantity | 10d10 |
| Locale | Jungle and tropical regions, Aswanar Wildlands, Fire Isles |
| Form | Tree |
The wakaya is a tall tropical tree that has smooth, oval dark green leaves and bears oval shaped, bright orange fruit. The fruits are known as wakaya nuts.
The skin and outer flesh of the wakaya nut is edible and tastes rather tart. The dense, dark orange kernel of the fruit is extremely toxic and needs a great deal of preparation before it can be safely eaten. Eating the untreated kernel causes severe muscle cramps that can even rip the muscles off the bone.
The kernels have to be boiled and then steamed or soaked in running water before the poison is completely leached out. The aswani grind the kernels up, after treatment, into flour for bread. This bread is usually only enjoyed by chieftains, shamans and other important people because of the amount of labor involved in making it.
The leaves of the wakaya can be boiled down to make a strong black dye. Several of the Fire Isles tribes adorn and paint themselves with this dye. The leaves are also made into coronets to wear on the head by the aswani when visiting graves or during a burial ceremony.
The wood of the wakaya is white and very brittle and makes good firewood when dry. It is not very strong and not good for building, but it is lightweight and the aswani and natives of the Fire Isles use it in the construction of canoes.
The wakaya trees grows in the Aswanar Wildlands, the Fire Isles and Eshtar.
Wakaya are a major part of the diet of the aswani. This tree is also an important resource for various Fire Isle tribes..
This website was last updated February 29, 2024. Copyright 1990-2024 David M. Roomes.