Hawaiian Mom of Eight Honored for Growing Indigenous Nation

Hawaiian elders keep stopping Kuʻuleilehua Makekau in public to thank her for something unexpected: having eight children. For this Polynesian mom living in Hawaii, their gratitude speaks to a painful history and a hopeful future.

Makekau recently shared why her large family means so much to her community. "When my husband and I are out and about in public, we will have Hawaiian Kūpuna (grandparents or elders) always stop us," she explained in an Instagram video while holding her newborn.

After confirming all eight children are biologically theirs, the response is always the same. "They thank us for our service. E ho'oulu ka lāhui, for growing the Lāhui, for growing our Hawaiian community because we almost died out."

The pride behind those thank yous runs deep. Within 100 years of Western contact, diseases like smallpox and measles reduced the Native Hawaiian population by 90 percent to just 40,000 people. By 1840, some scholars estimate the population had plummeted by 84 percent.

The cultural devastation didn't stop there. In 1893, American and foreign businessmen overthrew the Kingdom of Hawai'i in an illegal coup. Colonizers seized land, banned the Hawaiian language from schools and government, and suppressed traditional practices.

But Native Hawaiians never gave up. King David Kalākaua sparked the First Hawaiian Renaissance in the 1880s, reviving cultural practices like hula dancing that told their stories and kept their heritage alive.

Sunny's Take

Makekau's perspective opened eyes for thousands online. "People NEVER think from the Indigenous perspective," one commenter wrote. "This is beyond beautiful."

For Makekau, who grew up as the oldest of 14 children, eight doesn't feel like many. But each one represents something bigger: cultural survival, ancestral pride, and hope for future generations. "I don't think people understand the pride that we have as Indigenous people to add to our population," she said.

Her family embodies the Hawaiian value of 'ohana (extended family) that sustained their culture for centuries. Today, every large Hawaiian family celebrates not just new life, but the continuation of a people who refused to disappear.