In ancient times, what was the society that practiced Pono like?
Ancient Hawaii was an ‘ohana’ society – centered around family and clan groups. “Members of the ‘ohana, like taro shoots, are all from the same root,” says Mary Kawena Pukui, a kupuna and ‘rememberer’ treasured for her enormous contribution in making the resurgence of the culture possible by her meticulous recording of the language and beliefs. She passed on in the ’70’s, and is now one of Na Kupuna. Her comparison in this quote comes from an ancient tradition: ‘oha – the root of the taro plant, was not only the ‘staff of life’ in the Hawaiian diet, but was also closely linked with the origin of the people. Legend states that the progenitor of the Hawaiians was a mystic man-and-taro being named Haloa. Also, the first human birth on the island after the ancient settlers arrived was a stillborn who was buried, with the first taro patch planted over the burial place. Thus, they were ‘ohana, ‘people born of/from the taro’ – and born to the ‘aina – the sustainer. The ‘ohana was a deeply fel
