Illustration: Dietrich Varez

The beloved Hawaiian child

He hi'i alo, ua milimili 'ia i ke alo, ua ha'awe 'ia ma ke kua, ua lei 'ia ma ka 'ā'ī.

A beloved, fondled in the arms, borne on the back, whose arms circle the neck as a lei.

By Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, Ph.D., R.D.

This is an 'Ōlelo No'eau that describes a favorite and treasured child and exemplifies the high value that Hawaiian families place on children. Numerous similar 'Ōlelo No'eau describing the Hawaiian thought and life relating to children can be found in the collections of Mary Kawena Puku'i. An early visitor to Hawai'i observed Hawaiian children happily playing together and saw how older children tended, with great care, to the needs of the younger ones. The visitor commented on how seriously Hawaiian children performed in their roles as children. It was the kuleana of older children to protect and care for younger siblings.

A favorite mo'olelo demonstrates just how capable Hawaiian children were as caretakers while also telling how Chief Kekaulike's son acquired his special name. The Maui ruler's child was named Kamehameha (not to be confused with King Kamehameha I). One day when Kamehameha's personal attendant had to be gone for the day, he left his two young sons to care for the royal child. Kalo greens were prepared and cooked for the child, because the leaves were tender, nutritious and easy to swallow. Chief Kekaulike arrived unexpectedly and was displeased to see that only lū'au was being fed to his son. The caretaker's sons did not recognize Kekaulike. When they were asked about the food, the boys explained that this was a very precious child, and lū'au did not have bones that could lodge in the child's throat. Kekaulike was pleased with the explanation. The royal child, who was raised on Moloka'i, became known as Kamehamehanui'ailū'au, which means, great Kamehameha eater of kalo greens.

Assuring the best growth of a child was important kuleana for the 'ohana. Ali'i especially valued being tall and took great care in feeding their children. Every child's diet was carefully watched to assure the best nutrition possible, along with optimum exercise and sleep to support growth. Today, medical science has identified very specific growth phases in an infant's development, both as a fetus and as a newborn. For example, the brain develops very rapidly in the first months of infancy. Cells grow and divide at a highly accelerated rate, forming large numbers of new brain cells, thus assuring the best intellectual development. An infant's rapid physical growth is quite astounding. Without appropriate food, sleep and exercise a child will not achieve his potential best development.

During periods of growth, bone structure, internal organs, lymph and other systems all develop and grow. Rapid growth requires a steady supply of many nutrients to assure good brain, muscle and systems development. Traditionally, the calories, protein, minerals and vitamins came from mother's milk, and poi, and later, fish, sweet potato, other greens and occasionally fruit. Today's options include mother's milk, infant formula and infant cereals, poi, fruit and vegetables, including traditional foods. Avoid items such as soda, punch, sweets, french fries or chips as they detract from growth and development because they supply only calories.

The wisdom of the ancient Hawaiian cultural practices is of great value today – this wisdom protects children from harm and assures proper development. What are these values? Mother's milk supplemented by the right foods for each developmental phase, sufficient exercise, sleep and mental stimulation, and kuleana of the 'ohana form a large part of the values in a child's early life. Our ancestors strictly forbade hitting children on the head. Beating and spanking were unheard of as children were carefully and lovingly taught what was expected of them and were guided by older children to live up to family expectations. It is our still our kuleana to assure the health and development of our keiki. How well do you think we are doing?