HAWAIIAN PREGNANCY TRADITIONS

Hawaiian Pregnancy Traditions

Nurse 320 Maternity
Stephanie Wong

HAWAIIAN PREGNANCY TRADITIONS

Hawaiian culture comes with many beliefs and spiritual practices. Due to todays
multicultural marriages some of the olden days traditions have been lost in translation.
Researching and reading about the culture I found and learned that some of the cultural beliefs
are still presently used. Before pregnancy occurs, family members who have dreams of someone
pregnant or a fish could symbolically mean a future pregnancy. (Hawaiian Prenatal) To find out
the sex of a baby, the kahuna known as a Hawaiian priest can determine by mothers presentation
and hand manner. Mother's appearance with clear complexion is believed to be a boy and a bad
complexion means a girl. The reasoning of bad complexion occurs because they believed the girl
is taking away all of the mother's beauty. Feature changes of a mother whose nose starts to grow
could also be sign of pregnancy as well. If the hand palms are up it is believed to be a boy and if
the hand is presented palm down it is going to be a girl. Two hands presented could mean twins.
The mothers stomach can also indicate the gender of the fetus. The position of the fetus
determines sex such as pointed and carrying low meaning a boy. Rounded and carrying low
means a girl. (Hawaiian Prenatal)
The Kahuna priest or family member who dreamt of the baby, usually names the child
from their vision in their dream. The 'aumakua is an ancestral guardian spirit, when seen in the
dreams has a great influence on the name given. The inoa meaning name must be given
accordingly or the baby is at high risk of becoming sickly. The meaning of the inoa must be
given and thought out carefully because the baby must live up to their name. Thats when the
elderly or kahuna are mostly in charge of name given. (Traditional Hawaiian)
Once pregnancy is known, traditional prenatal care mostly consisted of good diet and low
activity. Pork, cooked fish, taro poi, coconut milk, fruits and vegetables were mostly eaten.
Certain fish and salty foods were avoided to prevent characteristic flaws. Salty foods were

HAWAIIAN PREGNANCY TRADITIONS

avoided to make child sweet and happy. Cravings of certain fish identify babys character such as
tiger shark meaning fearless fighter. Manini surgeonfish found in tide pools can give a child
character of being shy and timid. (Traditional Hawaiian) During third trimester diet is lessened to
prevent difficult birth such as large gestational age and dystocia.
Early announcements and gifts by grandparents were avoided due to beliefs of possible
miscarriages. Activity mainly consists of no heavy lifting, running and bumpy road trips.
Swimming in the ocean is known to help loosen up the baby for delivery. (Hawaiian)
Superstition beliefs of traveling at night were avoided because ikehu energy belonging to po
meaning night could bring dark energy. Today it varies with some mothers, some surf until third
trimester and others continue to run. Keeping the neckline area clear is still known today and
believed to be a sign of piko o meaning umbilical cord around the babys neck. Lomi lomi
massage is used to reduce molding of infants head and promote good health and growth. It also
is used when babys okole is flat to help plump it up. Family support is great necessity in
Hawaiian culture. Today we see a lot of extended families helping each other to look after their
children. Sometimes grandparents are the primary guardians and neighbors babysitting while the
parents are at work. Hawaiians in the old days typically came in large groups of families. Older
children were responsible to look after the younger siblings, cousins and hanai family members.
Hawaiian customs of caring for every child helped build strong relationships amongst the
community in the village. (Kona Hawaiian)
Before labor and delivery, a prayer was offered to the fertility Hawaiian God Lono and
the Goddess Hina who presides over death. (Kona Hawaiian) The prayer is meant for a support
and safety of mother and baby. Hawaiian women were only allowed to support the mother while
giving birth. Positions of squatting and kneeling were often used to guide a safe delivery. Kapa is

HAWAIIAN PREGNANCY TRADITIONS

a cloth made from Wauke tree and lauhala mats made from hala trees were used. Kahuna pale
keiki meaning midwife and Kahuna ho 'ohanao is a childbirth specialist were the primary
caretakers for pregnant women. They educated them in nutrition, exercise, and prenatal to
postnatal care. (Hawaiian birth)
La'au lapa 'au known as an herbalist assisted in finding treatments for the village.
Various blossoms and plants were used for infertility, quick delivery, to ease pain of childbirth, or
to lubricate the birth canal. For example, nut oil was used to prevent stretch marks and specific
plant leaves were used to help milk production. The latex of half-ripe berries of h wai nui
were mixed with uala sweet potato and used to restore or increase breast milk production.
(Native plants 2009) The mother is also placed in another house because blood will taint the
home. Displaying any pain, crying, screaming is a sign of weakness. Most Hawaiian women try
their best to hold in the pain. Presenting pain was frowned upon and could become the talk of the
village back in the day. Once baby has been delivered, a kahuna or other member of the family
recites a birth chant oli hnau. Its a special welcoming to the newborns ohana. At the end of
the chant is where the child's name is given because it isn't until birth that is named as their
energy, temperament, and many other factors are taken into account.
I personally experienced Hawaiian sacred grounds in Halawa Valley and learned how
mana is so important to the culture. Halawa Valley is run and taken care by Auntie Sweets and
her grandchildren. There are two spots that have very special pohakus that bring great mana to
pregnant women. There have been stories of women who had fertility issues and would go touch
and pray to the first pohaku. Within a year, they successfully become pregnant and deliver with
no serious complications. Another pohaku that is used is the birthing stone that is located up in
the valley. Once the mothers water breaks, mothers that want to go natural give birth on that

HAWAIIAN PREGNANCY TRADITIONS

special pohaku. The pohaku is shaped like a flat peanut to give mother support during delivery. I
volunteered to lay in the pohaku and the reality of sitting in it was amazing. It was pretty special
to see traditional practices still being done today.
Breastfeeding is always encouraged and the mother must always display to be happy.
They believed showing negative energy might be passed down to the baby. The placenta called
iewe is buried. Hawaiians believed the 'iewe is returned to Papahnaumoku "Earth Mother" by
either being planted in the ground under a tree, shrub and rock. (Traditional Hawaiian) This
belief led mothers to know the baby was tied to land. Its believed that if the placenta is treated
with respect, the child will work hard for the land and not stray far. (Hawaiian Traditions) If the
placenta is treated like rubbish, the child will grow up and act like rubbish and be antisocial.
Planting placentas under certain plants or trees believed to bring strong personality traits for the
newborn. For example, mothers who plant the placenta under a Niu coconut tree believed it will
make her child grow up to be useful, strong, pure, and acquire many different abilities. Once
baby makes one year of age a luau is celebrated within the village. (Traditional Hawaiian) After
the Piko falls off of the newborn, traditions of covering it with 'alae red Hawaiian salt,
wrapped in ti leaf, and then buried in a secured rock near the ocean. If the piko is stolen or eaten
by something or someone, the child's character is changed. (Traditional Hawaiian)
Modern practices of buried placentas are most commonly done today. Some still chant
and believe in superstitions such as the piko o, birthmarks and presentation of mother. Outside
practices such as giving birth in Halawa Valley is known, but are also high risk to mother and
baby. Queens Medical Center and Kapiolani are known Hawaiian descent hospitals that are
respectively aware of Hawaiian traditions. It is important to nurses and doctors to be culturally
informed to better understand their patient and families.

HAWAIIAN PREGNANCY TRADITIONS

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References

Anonymous (2012, July 20) Goddess hina. Retrieved from:

https://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/goddess-hina/
Moore, J. (n.d.) Hawaiian prenatal beliefs and practices. Retrieved from:
http://www.hawaii.hawaii.edu/nursing/RNHawaiian13.html
Moore, J. (n.d) Traditional hawaiian values and beliefs about pregnancy and childbirth.
Retrieved from: http://www.hawcc.hawaii.edu/nursing/RNHawaiian11.html
Moore, J. (n.d.) Hawaiian birthing practices. Retrieved from:
http://www.hawcc.hawaii.edu/nursing/RNHawaiian_04.html
University of Hawaii (2009) Clermontia arborescens subsp. waihiae. Retrieved from:
http://nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Clermontia_arborescens_waihiae