Traditionally, hānai (which translates roughly as "feeding") took place shortly after birth, when a baby's biological parents gave the infant to another couple to raise.
The practice could serve to expand and strengthen family ties, and was an efficient way for a society to pass knowledge and culture down the generations.
It spread to the common people, and it has doubtless fostered a community of interest and harmony.”[3] Hawaiians also traditionally practiced ho'okama, which was the adoption of older children and adults.
[5] When Hawaiian culture expert Winona Beamer spoke about the issue of hānai and its relevance to admission at Kamehameha Schools, she had first-hand knowledge of the practice in her immediate family.
The linguist Kaliko Beamer-Trapp was born in England, but emigrated to the United States with his biological mother and later moved to Hawaii.