Meaning

(chiefly Hawaii) An extended Hawaiian family unit..

Example Sentences

[U]nder the leadership of Ka Lahui Hawai'i headed by attorney Mililani Trask, various Native Hawaiian organizations, ohanas, and individuals formed a loose coalition that some refer to as the Hawaiian Nation within a Nation.

The ancient Hawaiian society that began around the sixth century and lasted until around 1000 A.D. was based on the extended family group, the ʻohana, living and working cooperatively on the ahupuaʻa under the leadership of the most respected person in the group, the haku. Most members of the ohana were engaged in agriculture, some in fishing, and some were artisans who probably devoted most of their time to their crafts; undoubtedly others were all three.

Perhaps that is why Mr. Family celebrates the Hawaiian concept of ohana—not just family, but extended family. Through the characters of Mr. Family—Kal, Erika (who first appeared in The Third Christmas), Hiialo and their ohana—are purely imaginary, perhaps you can feel in these pages the love I've been fortunate to know.

In 1981, the Honolulu City Council passed a zoning regulation that borrowed from traditional Hawaiian living arrangements to allow for what is termed ʻohana housing: incorporating relatives into an existing structure or building an "'accessory to the principal permitted single-family dwelling' for extra residents […] In Nānā I Ke Kumu (Look to the Source), a book of Hawaiian customs and beliefs, the ʻohana is described as composed of people connected by ties of love and loyalty, duty and obligation. Members of an ʻohana may or may not be blood kin; they are related by virtue of sharing sustenance and support.

So, in Hawaiʻi, banks and retailers now regularly emphasize bowdlerized Hawaiian concepts in their advertising, calling their companies "ohanas" (families), for example, or using images of nineteenth-century aliʻi (chiefs) and sacred symbols […]

The House and Senate are committing more than $30 million to establish “ohana zones” where the homeless can live, but are leaving it to Gov. David Ige’s administration to figure out the details.

Word Forms

• ohanas
• ʻohana
• 'ohana

Related Words

When Should You Use Ohana?

Use ohana when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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