Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 6, 1 June 2003 — Warm is the home in whieh a father lives [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Warm is the home in whieh a father lives

Pumehana ka hale i ka noho 'ia e ka makuakane 'Ōlelo no'eau honors fathers and grandfathers who nurture the 'ohana

By Claire Hughes, Dr.PH., R.D. In June, we honor and celebrate our mākuakāne and kūpunakāne as family men and providers. E ho'ōkanaka maoli. Tremendous change has occurred in the lives of Hawaiian kāne over the last 100 to 150 years, and challenges abound. Rapid socio-economic development replaced the prevailing subsistence lifestyle of traditional times with a cash eeonomy, when large industries, such as ranching, shipping, sugar and pineapple were introduced to Hawai'i. In previous generations, our mākuakāne farmed, fished and hunted for food. They were the ones who crafted all tools and equipment for their kāne responsibilities, as well as for activities within the household. Making fishing cording and netting, stone tools, wooden implements, and building structures for family in the kauhale, all were kāne functions. The men also taught the keiki kāne the necessary skills required by the old lifestyle. In old Hawai'i, the men provided for and protected their families, homes and eommunities, and they passed those responsibilities on to their sons. Kūpunakāne were the family eounselors, teachers and keepers of family traditions. Together, the men of the extended family had significant control over their destinies within the old system of government. The subsequent acculturation brought change in government, religion, family and work. Employment took kāne away from families during kalo planting and harvesting seasons. With men absent and unable to provide as before, famine and sickness in families was not unusual. This was further exacerbated by cultural practices that prohibited women from touching raw kalo. Soon, taxes needed to be paid and necessities bought, forcing many families to move to cities and work for cash. Our kāne responded to these changes with varying degrees of success. A historical perspec-

tive by Elizabeth Handy, published in 1972, offers that "Hawaiians appeared to be temperamentally unsuited to the sort of labour regimentation essential to a big scale plantation enterprise — in all out heavy labour undertakings they (Hawaiians) were magnificent and enthusiastic conjoiners; for routine drudgery they had no preference."

Among the introduced industries, "Hawaiian men took more readily to challenges of ranching than to the repetitive actions of tending fields." Handy noted that Hawaiians were often selected to important positions in communities, such as poliee officers, wharf and school officials, teachers, pastors and luna on the plantations. Hawaiian kāne are resilient, to say the least. Assessing success is difficult, though. However, the 2000 U.S. Census data show nearly 94,000 Hawaiians (47,745 men and 45,848 females) over 16 years of age are employed in the civilian labor force. Of those, 8,854 kāne work in managerial and professional occupations; 12,071 in service occupations — 2,358 firefighters and polieemen among them; 6,989 are in sales and office occupations; 1,063 are in farming, fishing and forestry; 9,772 kāne are in construction and 8,996 are in production, transportation and moving. The Census data further show that the median individual ineome is $33,258 for males employed on a full-time basis. The median annual Hawaiian family ineome is $49,282. Seventy-seven percent of Hawaiian families earn over $25,000 a year, and 13 percent of these families earn $100,000-plus annually. The 2000 U.S. Census data on education show that 86,870 Hawaiians (41,727 men) have at least a high school diploma, and 7,602 men have eollege degrees. These figures all show improvement over the 1998 figures in the OHA Databook. Looking at employment, ineome and educational achievement, Hawaiian men and women are making headway. The preference for service positions and those requiring physical strength, remains evident, although the number of college degrees is growing. Let's all celebrate the makuakāne and kūpunakāne in our lives. An especially big mahalo to those who are raising strong keiki and encouraging them to be the best that they ean. ■

Ol AKINO V

[?]

A mōkua pauses with his keiki — committed to nourishing their minds, spirits and bodies by bringing them to the Aug. 2002 Pu'ukohola ceremonial gathering on Hawai'i lsland to leam about heir kupuna's eulture. Photo:Naomi Sodetani