Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 3, 1 March 2006 — TRADITIONAL DIET HELPED Keik, THRIVE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TRADITIONAL DIET HELPED Keik, THRIVE

He hi'ialo, ua milimili 'ia i ke alo, ua hā'awe 'ia i ke kua, ua lei 'ia i ka 'ā'I . A beloved, fondled in the arms, borne on the back, whose arms circle the neek as a lei.

This 'ōlelo(saying)describes how eaeh treasured child was held, adorning the necks and shoulders of his parents like a lei. It also exemplifies the high value that Hawaiian families placed on young children. Numerous of Mary Kawena Pūku'i's collection of 'ōlelo describe Hawaiian thought, love and life in regard to children. An early visitor to Hawai'i observed that Hawaiian keiki took their roles as children seriously. He saw

children happily playing together and observed older children carefully tending to the needs of the younger ones. 01der children took their responsibility of caring for younger siblings very seriously. This was the practice in Hawaiian households. A favorite mo 'olelo (story ) demonstrates how capable children were as caretakers. The story is about Kamehamehanui, the infant sonof therulerofMaui, Kekaulike, and should not be confused

with Kamehameha I, the great warrior king. One day, when Kamehameha's personal attendant had to leave for the day, he left the child in the care of his own two young sons. Kalo greens, or lū'au, were prepared and cooked for the royal child. Chief Kekaulike arrived unexpectedly and was displeased to see that only lū'au and poi were being fed to his son. The caretaker's young sons did not recognize Kekaulike. When they were asked about the food, the boys explained that this was a very precious child, and the lū'au was tender, easy to swallow and did not have bones that could lodge in the child's throat and hann him. Kekaulike was pleased with this response. Kekaulike's son, the little chief, became known as Kamehameha-nui-'ai-lū'au (great Kamehameha, eater of kalo greens). Assuring the proper growth of their children was important to Hawaiians. We know that the ali'i valued great height in their offspring and took great care in their feeding. The child's diet was carefully watched to assure the best possible growth for the infant. Adequate calories and protein, in addition to minerals and vitamins, are a must for healthy growth. In ancienttimes, Hawaiian

keiki got lots of these nutrients from poi, greens and other vegetables. Mother's milk and small amounts of fish were the sources of the protein, calories, ealeium and vitamins required to assure good brain development. The wisdom of these ancient Hawaiian cultural eating practices provides a valuable lesson for us today. This assures proper development and protects children from harm. What were these values? In large part, it was assuring the right food, exercise and sleep for eaeh developmental phase, as well as stimulation of thinking and teaching family responsibility. Hawaiians thrived and grew tall, straight and muscular by eating lots of green leaves of taro, sweet potatoes and herbs, in addition to poi, 'ulu (breadfruit) and some reef fish. Beating and spanking of ehildren was unheard of, as ehildren were carefully taught the behaviors expected of them. Our ancestors strictly forbade hitting children on the head. Little keiki were guided by older children to live up to the family expectations. Considering food as important as medicine was a practice of our ancestors. This cultural practice is still valid today. S

OLAKINO • YOUR HEALĪH

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