Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 1994 — Hawaiian healers meet to carry on healing legacy of the past [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian healers meet to carry on healing legacy of the past

from page 13 him by the Paukukalo Homestead Association, where he has planted 40 different types of la'au, kalo and mea 'ai (food crops). The garden is an educational project where school children eome to leam about planting Hawaiian crops by the moon calendar, as well as a source of medicinal plants for homesteaders. Kukana Isaacs, po'okela/kāko'o to Kūpuna Lā'au Lapa'au O Hawai'i, and coordinator of planning and logistics, said, "The Saturday sharing was basically one of lōkahi existing in its truest sense. Nothing was held back. Eaeh kupuna reiterated that spirituality is the most important thing in healing, recognizing God through prayer, and that without that, nothing would work." Fem Clark, executive director of the state Office of Hawaiian Heahh noted that the purpose of the 'ūniki exercises "is to ensure the integrity of the Hawaiian art of herbal healing." She added, "We hope this will be an annual event." Official support for traditional Hawaiian healing has been a recent development, with the creation of the Office of Hawaiian Health in the state Department of

Health, and Papa Ola Lokahi, an organization formed under the federal Native Hawaiian HeaUh Act to promote native Hawaiian heahh systems statewide. These steps have encouraged native Hawaiian healers to become more open in teaching, practicing and sharing their knowledge since Western medieal professionals now are directed to work with traditional heahh practitioners to better the heahh status of Hawaiians. The formation of E Ola Mau, an organization of native Hawaiian Westem-trained heahh care professionals seeking to

understand and support traditional healers, has also helped open the way for traditional healing methods. Nanette Judd, past president of E Ola Mau and now a board member, said E Ola Mau has worked with Papa Auwae since 1987 when he eame to ask for assistance in organizing Hawaiian native healers. E Ola Mau sees its role as a bridge between Western-trained and traditional healers, she said, and has also been involved in efforts to investigate a process of eventual certification of kāhuna lā'au lapa'au.

Clark added that the Office of Hawaiian Heahh has been working with the lā'au lapa'au healers and botanist Evangeline Funk for two years to develop a record of where lā'au is found on the different islands and to collect sam-

ples. She hopes to obtain funds to prepare the samples as teaching materials. The next stage, she said, is to create gardens where traditional

herbs for medicine ean grow and where the healers ean eome to collect herbs and teach young people. Meanwhile, she said, the office will continue to support Hawaiian right of access to traditional herbal grounds.

Marlenajon Safford, park director at Lapakahi State Park, said "It was my greatest joy to work with the kūpuna, because they share from their hearts. They give

advice, knowledge and aloha." She said she felt this gathering "is the beginning of the healing of our people." Kupuna Katherine Maunakea composed the following mele to record her aloha for all who participated in the gathering: "Ha'aheo o Lapakahi Ua 'ike maka 'ia Ko laulima hana Pio'ole ka 'i'ini a i loko No nā Kūpuna Lā'au Lapa'au o Hawai'i.

"Uluwehiwehi ka nani No ka pā ana mai 'Olu'olu ka pūliki ana mai No ka lehulehu no ka 'āina. "E ho'opa'a 'ia nei No ka lōkahi ka mana'o Hui pū me kealoha Mai ka Makua o ka Lani Ka mākou Makua Ka Haku. "Pua ana mai Lapakahi Ua 'ike maka 'ia Ka laulima hana Pio'ole ka 'i'ini a i loko No nā Kūpuna Lā'au Lapa'au o Hawai'i."

Kupuna Katherine Maunakea of Nanākuli, 85, braved the Kohala winds to share her knowledge of Hawaiian iā'au.