Aloha mai e nā hoa pepeiao! I’ve been thinking about 'ohana lately and thought we would spend some time looking at various 'ōlelo no'eau and vocabulary that describe the pilina, relationships within an 'ohana. Let’s begin today by discussing four basic words - keiki, 'ōpio, makua and kūpuna. Keiki literally means child, but it can also mean boy or son. We differentiate by saying keikikāne for boy and either keikiwahine or kaikamahine for girl. In the next stage of life, around 12 or 13 we become 'ōpio, youth or juvenile. This is the term we use for adolescents and teenagers. Now, if we say 'ōpiopio we are referring to someone who is immature, still young or on the positive side, you could be referring to someone who still looks youthful. For example, He 'ōpio 'o Kamalani. Kamalani is a teenager. 'Ōpiopio 'o Luana. Luana looks so young. As we grow and mature we become makua. This is the parent age and makua literally means parent or any relative of the parent age, aunts, uncles, cousins of this age were all referred to as makua and likewise they all had the kuleana of being parents to the younger family members. Makua eventually age, gain wisdom and become kūpuna, the elders. Kūpuna literally means grandparent, ancestor or relative of the grandparent age. Four phases in life all intertwined, each playing a vital role in the 'ohana. Aloha nō, a hui hou.

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