Family

A kupuna gives a keiki an ukulele lesson. Courtesy HVCB Image Library.

There is a very strong sense of family in Hawaii. The Hawaiian word “ohana” describes the idea best. Someone’s ohana goes beyond their parents and siblings to include aunties, uncles, grandparents, cousins, the cousins’ cousins … Then there are our “calabash” aunties, uncles and cousins, who aren’t related by blood, but who are nevertheless part of the ohana by virtue of being so closely woven into the family’s life over the years.

The two anchors of the ohana in Hawaii have always been the keiki and the kupuna—the children and the elders. They are always given extra respect, and cared for before others.

This strong sense of an extended family is another reason why the concept of aloha is so interwoven into daily life, and why respectful visitors are so welcomed.