Hanai Parents?

Can anyone out there explain the seemingly Hawaiian concept of Hanai parents or Hanai? Is it a form of adoption? Legally binding? Or is it more an honorific family relationship, like godparents in the Christian tradition?

Hanai parents are like adoptive parents. Hanai was (is?)a custom where a family would "adopt" a child given by someone else and raises that child as a family member. If for what ever reason your Biological parents could not raise you, Hanai was used. Sometime childeren were given to ohana who had no children, out of respect.

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[ Edited by: tiki king on 2003-03-18 16:49 ]

The way I've understood it (which could certainly be incorrect), is that sometimes families gave a newborn child as a hanai child to another family closer to the chief line. This was the ultimate gift of love, and these children were then considered part of the chief line, and were sometimes held in even higher regard than the natural-born children of the family. Queen Liliuokalani was a hanai child.

[ Edited by: purple jade 2006-03-20 21:32 ]

Humuhumu is correct, but it was also used between non "royalty"

On 2003-03-18 16:43, purple jade wrote:
So...does this mean Bong is a chief and PolyPop's kids have moved up in the world?

Purple Jade, I couldn't have said it betterer myself!

Ummmm.... I beg to differ. My children have become enslaved to Bong's "sweatshop" of a household. Cooking, cleaning, etc...

Hanai? I don't think so -- not even close!

**Poly-Pop ***

[ Edited by: polynesianpop on 2003-03-18 20:43 ]