The Wisdom of Kupuna: Honoring Elders and Their Role in Hawaiian Society

In 2025, the Oʻahu Point-in-Time Count recorded that adults aged 60 and older made up 19 percent of people experiencing homelessness on the island — a figure that challenges the common image of the revered elder in Hawaiian society. That statistic, published by Civil Beat, sits at the center of a difficult question this article takes seriously: what does it mean to honor kūpuna — elders — when the systems meant to support them are underfunded, and when the cultural ideal of care within ʻohana (family) runs up against the reality of a housing crisis?

This guide is for readers who want to understand the real role of kūpuna in Hawaiian society — past and present — and who are interested in the specific ways the community is working to close that gap. It is not a checklist of “things to do” when visiting Hawaiʻi. It is an investigation into a living, evolving, and contested relationship between a culture and its elders.

The table above sketches a contrast that is not a simple decline narrative. Many kūpuna remain active, visible, and deeply respected within Hawaiian cultural circles. The challenge is that the systems that once embedded elder care into daily life — land tenure, multigenerational households, subsistence economies — were disrupted by colonialism, and the replacement systems have not kept pace.

Kūpuna in Traditional Hawaiian Society: More Than Elders

The word kupuna (often pluralized as kūpuna with the kahakō, or macron) means more than “old person.” It carries the sense of source, ancestor, and foundation. In Hawaiian thought, knowledge of genealogy — one’s connection to the land, the gods, and the people who came before — is the basis of identity. Kūpuna were the ones who held that knowledge.

In traditional Hawaiian society, elders were not segregated into retirement. They participated in daily life, advising on fishing seasons, healing practices, and political decisions. The ʻohana system assumed that elders would be cared for by younger generations, and that care was reciprocal: elders contributed knowledge, childcare, and spiritual guidance. The concept of mālama — to care for, protect, and serve — applied to the relationship between generations as much as to the land.

One of the most visible roles of kūpuna today is in the revival of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (the Hawaiian language). After the language was banned in schools following the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, it was kūpuna who kept the language alive in private and in communities. The ʻAha Pūnana Leo movement, which began in the 1980s, relied heavily on native-speaking elders as teachers and consultants. That work continues, though the number of native speakers has declined sharply.

Kūpuna as Living Libraries

The phrase “living library” is often applied to kūpuna, and it is not metaphorical. In a culture where knowledge was transmitted orally — through chant, story, song, and direct observation — the elder was the archive. Talk story, the Hawaiian practice of informal storytelling, is one way this transmission happens. It is not casual conversation; it is a method of passing down place names, family histories, and practical knowledge.

This knowledge is specific and applied. A kupuna might know the precise moon phase for planting a particular variety of kalo, the wind pattern that signals a change in fishing conditions, or the oli (chant) that opens a ceremony at a specific heiau (temple). That knowledge is tied to place — a particular valley, shoreline, or forest — and cannot be separated from it.

The transmission of this knowledge is not automatic. It requires relationship, time, and consent. Many kūpuna are selective about what they share and with whom. This is not secrecy in the Western sense — it is a protocol of respect. Knowledge carries mana (spiritual power), and it must be handled with care.

The Crisis Facing Kūpuna Today

None of the above cultural context makes the homelessness statistics any less stark. The 19 percent figure from the Oʻahu Point-in-Time Count represents real people — grandmothers, grandfathers, respected elders — sleeping in cars, shelters, and on the streets. Nationally, homelessness among older adults is projected to nearly triple by 2030, a trend that researchers have linked to the widening gap between fixed incomes and the cost of housing.

Dr. Margot Kushel of the University of California, San Francisco, has documented that a single medical crisis, hospitalization, rent increase, or the loss of a partner can push a rent-burdened elder onto the street. In Hawaiʻi, where the cost of living is among the highest in the United States, the margin of error is especially thin. The Institute for Human Services (IHS), which has served Honolulu’s unsheltered population since Father Claude DuTeil began handing out peanut butter sandwiches in Chinatown in 1978, delivered 4,440 clinical encounters last year. Its medical respite homes took in 182 people discharged from hospitals with nowhere to recover.

At the same time, prevention funding has been cut. IHS’s homeless prevention program was reduced from serving 347 households to 201 households due to federal policy changes and budget cuts, according to Civil Beat. Prevention costs a fraction of what shelter stays, emergency room visits, and ambulance calls cost after someone becomes homeless — a point that the governor has repeated, framing housing as healthcare.

Efforts to Restore the Role of Kūpuna

Despite the challenges, there are concrete efforts to restore the material and cultural position of kūpuna. The state’s HRS §356D-71 and HRS §356D-72 outline elder housing selection and a housing for elders revolving fund administered by the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation. The state and city have also funded new approaches, including the neuroscience-informed Kumu Ola Hou kauhale (a village-style housing model) and a re-entry housing model adapted from a private-sector proof of concept.

These programs are small relative to the need. The number of adult foster homes and care homes lost during the pandemic has not been fully restored, and the demand for ADA-friendly senior housing — which prevents costly falls — continues to outpace supply. But the shift in language is notable: policymakers and advocates increasingly frame elder housing as a cultural obligation, not just a budgetary line item.

Community-based efforts are also important. Organizations like the kalo farming collectives that bring kūpuna and younger generations together on the land are not just about agriculture — they are about restoring the intergenerational relationship that elder care depends on. When a kupuna teaches a teenager how to plant kalo by the moon phase, both parties receive something that no program can replace.

Comparing Approaches to Kupuna Support

Different organizations and programs take different approaches to supporting kūpuna. The table below compares three models currently operating in Hawaiʻi.

Each model has strengths and limitations. The IHS program addresses the most immediate need — keeping people housed — but its funding is unstable. The Kumu Ola Hou approach is innovative but small. The OHA program is culturally grounded but restricted to those of Hawaiian ancestry. None of them alone can close the gap.

What Still Debated About the Role of Kūpuna

One unresolved question is whether the traditional role of kūpuna can be restored within a modern economy, or whether it must be transformed. Some Hawaiian cultural practitioners argue that the authority of kūpuna was tied to a system of land tenure and subsistence that no longer exists, and that new forms of elder authority must be developed. Others maintain that the core relationship — respect, care, and knowledge transmission — is adaptable and has already survived worse disruptions. The debate is not academic; it affects how programs are designed and who gets to decide what “honoring kūpuna” means in practice.

Common Questions About Kūpuna and Hawaiian Elder Culture

What does the word kupuna actually mean?

Kupuna (plural kūpuna with a kahakō over the first u) means elder, grandparent, or ancestor. It carries the sense of a source or foundation. The term is used for living elders and for ancestral figures, reflecting the Hawaiian view that the living and the dead are connected through genealogy.

Are kūpuna always treated with respect in Hawaiʻi today?

In formal cultural settings — ceremonies, hula halau, language revitalization programs — kūpuna are given clear deference. But the homelessness data shows that respect does not automatically translate into material security. The cultural value and the structural reality are often in tension.

What is the difference between a kupuna and a kumu?

A kupuna is an elder, often a source of knowledge by virtue of age and life experience. A kumu is a teacher or expert in a specific practice — kumu hula (hula teacher), kumu ʻōlelo (language teacher). A kumu may be a kupuna, but not all kūpuna are kumu, and not all kumu are elders.

How can visitors respectfully engage with kūpuna in Hawaiʻi?

Attend public cultural events where kūpuna are present — such as a hula performance or a Makahiki festival — and follow the protocol of the event. Do not approach kūpuna for photos or conversation unless invited. A simple “Aloha” and a respectful distance is appropriate. The best way to engage is to learn about the culture before you arrive.

What Honoring Kūpuna Actually Looks Like

The word honor is easy to say. It is harder to practice in a society where the cost of housing has risen faster than fixed incomes, where federal prevention funding has been cut, and where the adult foster homes that once kept elders within community have not been rebuilt. Honoring kūpuna is not a sentiment. It is a set of choices — about funding, about land use, about whose knowledge is valued, and about who gets to age in place. The concept of mana — spiritual power that is cultivated through right action — reminds us that respect is not declared; it is earned through what you do.

Sources and further reading

Civil Beat. “Kūpuna Are Aging Into Homelessness But Hawaiʻi Is Funding Less Prevention.” 2026. 🔗

Related reading on IslandHopperGuides

Celebrating Makahiki: Discovering Hawaiʻi’s Ancient Season of Peace and Renewal — The Makahiki season was a time when elders played a central role in ritual and community governance.

Poi Pounding: A Taste of Hawaiian Heritage — The knowledge of kalo varieties and pounding techniques is one of the many skills passed down by kūpuna.

Beyond Surfing: Exploring the Ancient Hawaiian Sport of Heʻe Nalu — Surfing knowledge, including board-making and wave reading, was traditionally transmitted from elder to student.