Hawaiian Word of the Week: Kupuna

Mr. Purdy from Purdy Macadamia Nut Farm on Molokai. If you ever visit Molokai, taking a tour of the Purdy farm is a must do! Learning the history of the macadamia and how to grow and harvest the nut from Mr. Purdy is a memorable experience.

For Hawaiians, kupuna (pronunciation: koo-poo-nah) are highly respected members of the community. Kupuna means elderly (like grandparents) or ancestors. Kupuna are seen as the critical link as the keepers of ancestral knowledge.

Kupuna are seen as important members of the community who have life experience and life lessons to pass on to future generations. They are vessels of aloha, pono (learn more about pono in next week’s Mindful Monday email), and malama (see our blog post about malama).

Many of us have a desire to understand where they came from…who came before them. I’ve learned how important it is to engage with kupuna to understand history…my history, history of our family, history of how I got to where I am today. Hawaiians ‘talk story’ and pass down information to the next generation. Technology now gives us the opportunity to not only capture stories from our kupuna, but also their facial expressions and their voice…preserving those stories in a way we couldn’t before.

What stories have you gotten from your kupuna? Comment below!

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