Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 16, Number 10, 1 October 1999 — Know your family, know yourself [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Know your family, know yourself

By Claire Hughes Dept. of Health tONNECTING OUR children and grandchildren to their ancestors is our responsibility. Who they were and how and where they lived. What they did. What were their particular skills? Was the family large or small? What made them laugh, what made them angry, what stories did they tell? This ancestral connection was often made when families gathered for storytelling or

other family events. In the not too distant past, these are the things families used to do. It is vitally important for us today to continue this oral tradition with our ehildren and grandchildren. Fortunate indeed are those who have a grandparent at home to tell the family mo'olelo. From these tales comes the very important sense of being part of an 'ohana. Recently, two wonderful women on Kaua'i related how they use this cultural value with teenagers who are behavioral problems in the classroom and need a bit of grounding. After hearing from grandparents about the world during the times the elders were children and learning about their own family stories and eonneetions, these teens were able to make significant changes in their lives after discover-

ing who they were. What does the family name mean? Has it been shortened, changed or somehow altered? How did the family earn that name? Mary Kawena Pūku'i tells us that a Hawaiian name might tell something about a child's birth, reveal a family lineage, the occupation of ancestors or a particular mana, and that every name was believed to hold its own mana or even kapu, whieh played a role in shaping the character, personality or fortunes of the bearer. Names were very important then. The name could tell of the specific personal characteristics of a person, a family tradition or a family responsibility. Then, as now, names play an important role in shaping one's selfimage. "Ola ka inoa," the name lives, goes the saying, when the name of a beloved

deceased relative is given to a child. "Pupuka aune'i, he inoa 'ala" - homely he may be, but his name is fragrant; he bears an honorable name. "Kōlea aku i ka 'ohana - cry plover! In seeking one's kinfolk, names are family possessions. In seeking one's unknown kin, repeat the family names until they are found. These expressions also eome from 'ōlelo no'eau about names. n the ancient tradition, the order of birth within the family, as well as gender, shaped one's self-image. There were eating distinctions between the sexes in the 'ohana. While men could eat pork, red fish and all types of banana, women ate no pork, no coconut, no red fish and only the iholena variety of banana. The reasons given for food restrictions for women are interesting. Charles Kenn told me

one was based on the role of women as bearers of the next generation. He said that very rich foods were restricted in the women's diet because it was important to keep their bodies healthy and strong and free of impurities. Another reason was that the food kapu was related to the mana associated with food as kinolau for specific gods. Foods that were particularly male in mana were not appropriate for women to eat. When I spoke to a Maori kahuna years ago, he said some of the Maori diet restrictions were to keep women safe from harm, as the penalties that eame with certain food kapu could mean death. While we no longer inflict the death penalty on one another, today's eating habits often prove to be deadly. We would do well to adopt our ancestral diet for the nation to grow and prosper. ■

IUt lllill , W" ' , i j , iii4lli|iliPWi i1

Ka 'ike 'ana ia 'oe iho - the knowing of oneself, self-image