The Spirit of 'Ohana

The 'ohana of old made it possible for the Polynesian voyagers to venture forth to unknown lands. The word 'ohana comes from the 'oha, or corm of the taro plant. The taro plant links the Hawaiians to the origin of their people. The first Polynesian voyagers who settled in Hawai'i probably carried taro plants in their double-hulled canoes. The ancient Hawaiians not only used taro corm, stems and leaves as food, but they also used various parts of the plant as medicine.

Ancient spirit of 'ohana

Hawaiians believed that 'oha was the "root of origin". It did not matter how many offshoots came from the 'oha. In Hawaiian terms regardless of how distantly people were related, they were still all brothers and sisters. Their roots were from the 'ohana, so they were 'ohana. In nearly every sense, the 'ohana included those adopted in friendship. Members of the 'ohana, like taro shoots, were all from the same root.

The beliefs of the ancient 'ohana corresponded with the view of the relationship between humanity and nature. Members of the 'ohana knew that life was interconnected. The 'ohana who farmed depended on the 'ohana that fished. Each depended on the other for survival.

Affection and warmth were the values of the 'ohana. There was a sense of shared involvement, mutual responsibility, interdependence and helpfulness. The 'ohana meant love and loyalty. All its members practiced the spirit of sharing and caring. Forgiveness was very important. There was great respect for the elders.

Our 'ohana

Each person on our 'ohana farms has a job that is unique to their skills and mastery. Due to their efforts, we have become a special 'ohana of farms. Paul Sterling and his family thank the many people who make it all possible.

From the beginning...

And to all those we come in contact with, welcome to our 'ohana.  Mahalo (thank you) for visiting.