Hānai

Hānai is a term used in the Hawaiian culture that refers to the informal adoption of one person by another, regardless of the age involved.[1] It can be used as an adjective, such as "hānai child", or as a verb "to hānai" someone into the family.

In the Hawaiian culture, hānai has historically been a practice of one family hānai-ing their child into another family. It has made tracing genealogical roots somewhat more complicated.[2]

When Winona Beamer spoke about the issue of hānai and its relevance to admission at Kamehameha Schools, she had first-hand knowledge of the practice in her immediate family. Kaliko Beamer-Trapp was born in England, but emigrated to the United States with his biological mother. When Beamer decided to hānai Kaliko into her family, it was with a special hānai ceremony.[3]

Other Polynesian cultures, such as the Tahitians and the Māori, have similar practices of adoptions.

See also

  • Category:Hawaiian adoptees (hānai)

References

  1. ↑ Staton, Ron (August 24, 2003). "Native blood and custom clash". Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
  2. ↑ "Hawaiian Dictionaries". wehewehe.org. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  3. ↑ "The Life of the People". Ke Ola Magazine. November 1, 2011.
  • "Ulukau: The Polynesian family system in Ka-ʻu, Hawaiʻi". ulukau.org.
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