Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 7, 1 July 2009 — The beloved Hawaiian child [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

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 be!oved, fondled in the arms, borne on the back, whose arms circle the neek as a lei. This is an 'Ōlelo No'eau that describes a favorite and treasured child and exemplifies

the high value that Hawaiian families plaee on children. Numerous shnilar 'Ōlelo No'eau describing the Hawaiian thought and life relating to children ean be found in the eollections 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 eommented on how seriously Hawaiian children performed in theh 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, whieh means, great Kamehameha eater ofkalo greens. Assuring the best growth J

of a child was i m p o r t a n t kuleana for the 'ohana. Ali'i espe- ' cially valued being tall and took great care in feedini

their children. Every child's diet was carefully watched to assure the best nutrition possible, along with ophnium 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. lllustrotion: Dietrich Vorez 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 ealories, protein, minerals and vitamins eame 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, puneh, 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 hami and assures proper development. What are these values? Mother's milk supplemented by the right foods for eaeh 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 heahh and development of our keiki. How well do you think we are doing? ■

[ĒM. www.oha.org/kwo

MO'OLELO - HISTDRY

By Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, Dr. PH„ R.D.