The ‘Ohana

‘Ohana is the Hawaiian word for family or relatives. An ‘Ohana consists of everyone related by blood, marriage, and adoption. The population of the ahupuaa was made up of many ‘Ohana, which made it the backbone of the ahupuaa. The ‘Ohana relied on each other to know what their tasks were. Family has always been an important part of life because children and adults both need a family to comfort each other.

The word ‘Ohana comes from the most important plant of the early Hawaiians- kalo. In Hawaiian tradition people are the descendants of the kalo plant. The kalo was so important that the words used to name the members of Hawaiian families come from those used to name the parts of the kalo. A human parent, like the parent kalo, was a makua. The children, like the kalo sprout, are an oha, and the extended family, like the offshoots of the kalo, is an ‘Ohana. The ‘Ohana supported each other’s efforts in the ahupuaa by laulima, or working together, and by kokua, or helping.