The Faithful and Loving Poi Dog Puppy Name: 'Ilio Date of Birth: 2 November 1998 Place of birth: Lanai, Hawaii The poi dog is named 'Ilio, and he wants you to adopt him. "Ilio (ee-LEE-oh) means "dog" in the Hawaiian language. Take 'Ilio and give him a good home with a nice, warm bed. Make him part of your ohana, and he will be your very own faithful and loving poi dog pup from the Islands of Hawai'i. In old Hawai'i, the people cherished their animals, and kept them well-fed and happy. The pig, chicken, and the faithful dog were all part of the ohana (whichis the Hawaiian word for "family"). The dogs especially loved the children. And they were so obedient and good that they were even taken on canoes for the long channel journeys between the islands. Over the years, many different people have moved to Hawai'i, fallen in love, and married. Their children have a number of nationalities (one little girl might be Chinese-Hawaiian-Filipino-Caucasian). We call these children of mixed lineage "hapa". These families brought their dogs, and these dogs mixed with the little Hawaiian dog. Today we call dogs of mixed breeds "poi dogs" because good poi (taro paste) is well mixed.